


More Than Just A Machine

by KittyKatUnicorn



Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: Anal Fingering, Anal Sex, Angst, Begging, Dirty Talk, Dubious Consent, First Time, Hand Jobs, M/M, Masturbation, Mind Games, Overstimulation, Self-Lubrication
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-06-18
Updated: 2018-08-21
Packaged: 2019-05-25 04:42:13
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 31,275
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14969339
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KittyKatUnicorn/pseuds/KittyKatUnicorn
Summary: Connor and Hank go to Kamski’s home to get information on the deviant case. When asked to shoot the female android Connor spares her and Kamski finds this fascinating. Instead of letting Connor and Hank go he decides to try to test how far Connor's humanity goes in exchange for valuable information.How could Connor possibly refuse?





	1. Chapter 1

# More Than Just A Machine

### Chapter 1 A Proposition

**November 09, 2038**

**AM 11:17:05**

Connor sat inside Hank's vehicle, watching him pace back and forth in the snow. He was talking to someone on the phone, presumably about the deviant case. He looked...troubled. Connor opened the door to the car and stepped out, shoes crunching the snow below his feet as he approached the older man.

“Is everything ok, lieutenant?”

The two had grown close over time and, although the lieutenant would deny it, they were what humans considered 'friends’ which is why it worried Connor to see his partner in such a state of distress.

Hank pocketed his phone, turning his head to look at Connor. 

“Chris was on patrol last night. He was attacked by a bunch of deviants.”

Hank paused, turning around to fully face Connor. Connor let him continue.

“He said he was saved by Markus himself.”

“Is Chris ok?”

“Yeah,” he nodded. “He's in shock but he's alive.” Hank appeared just as shocked about the deviants’ reluctance to kill anyone as Chris must have been when Markus saved him. “What the hell…” 

Connor didn't say anything as they began walking to the house in front of them: the house of Elijah Kamski, founder of Cyberlife and the creator of Thirium 310 along with today's well known bio component technology. If anyone had the answer to why androids deviated it would be him.

Taking a look around the frozen wasteland in seemingly the middle of nowhere Connor couldn't help but wonder how Hank knew where to find the man.

“How did you even find Kamski?”

“I remember this guy was all over the media when Cyberlife first started selling androids. I made a few calls and here we are.”

They stopped in front of the door and Hank rang the doorbell, rubbing his hands together for warmth while they waited for someone to let them in.

Connor took a quick scan of the temperature. “It is currently -8°F,” he supplied.

“Really? I couldn't tell,” Hank remarked. Connor felt the corners of his mouth lift in a small smile at his sarcasm. To anyone else his words would've sounded rude but Connor spent enough time with the lieutenant to understand the difference. Hank likes to put up a hardened exterior of indifference and defiance but underneath that he is a very likeable guy with a particular sense of humor.

“Perhaps you should've worn a pair of gloves, lieutenant.”

“Yeah? Well we all can’t be immune to the cold like you...fucking androids.” Hank muttered the last part under his breath, smile betraying the harshness of his words.

Right after that a blonde, female android opened the door. She regarded both of them passively. 

“Hi, uh, I'm lieutenant Hank Anderson, Detroit Police Department, I'm here to see Mr. Elijah Kamski.”

Her eyes swept over Hank's person, no doubt scanning him to verify his identity. Satisfied with the results, she welcomed them in.

After a moment of awkward silence Hank replied with a simple 'ok’ and Connor followed him inside.

“I'll let Elijah know you're here but please make yourself comfortable.”

She excused herself, leaving Hank and Connor in the room alone.

Never one to remain idle for very long, Connor decided to do some investigating of his own about this Elijah Kamski. 'Snooping’ as Hank would call it. 

Connor spotted a photograph hanging in a corner of the room and he approached it, interest peaking when he recognized one of the faces in the picture.

“Amanda…”

An analysis revealed that the two people in the photo were Elijah Kamski, AI graduate at the University of Colbridge Born: July 17, 2002 and Amanda Stern a professor at the university, Birthdate: May 14, 1978 - Died: February 23, 2027. 

So he designed an android after one of his professors in college. They must have been close.

“Nice girl,” Connor heard Hank muse. He assumed Hank was referring to the android.

“You’re right. She's really pretty,” Connor responded absentmindedly while he moved over to the next item of his interest. It was a large portrait of Elijah Kamski dressed in a suit against a blue background. He looked serious with a certain sharpness in his eyes that perfectly captured his intelligence. Whoever painted this must have been a seasoned artist to possess this amount of talent. Connor concluded that Elijah, like his creations, was aesthetically pleasing. 

Hank came up behind him, eyes taking in the modern decor with admiration.

“Nice place. Guess androids haven't been a bad thing for everybody.”

Hank clapped him on the shoulder and Connor tensed under the unexpected touch, LED flashing yellow for a brief moment before he willed himself to relax. He'd been on edge lately, what with the deviant cases that usually involved surprise attacks from said deviants if one wasn't especially careful. One late reaction could result in excessive damage or even shutdown which would be…inconvenient.

“So, you're about to meet your maker, Connor. How does it feel?”

Connor tore his gaze away from the portrait and made his way over to a silver and red armchair to sit on.

“I don't know. I'll tell you when I see him.”

Hank sat down in the chair next to him, sighing as he did so.

“Sometimes I wish I could meet my creator face to face. I have a couple of things I'd want to tell him.”

Connor reached in his pocket to look for his coin only to find it wasn't there. Hank took it away from him after he got annoyed with him for playing with it in the elevator and he never returned it. He'll just have to find another quarter on the sidewalk. The feel of a metal coin on his palms and the clinking sound it made when he tossed it in the air always helped him organize his thoughts. Without it he felt restless. Thankfully, the female android returned before Connor felt the need to do a more thorough search through Kamski’s home.

“Elijah will see you now.” She motioned to the door by the photograph of Elijah and Amanda and she stood aside, waiting for them to go in so she could shut the door.

Inside the room was a large swimming pool and inside the pool were two more androids that looked identical to the first and a man Connor recognized as Elijah.

The two bikini clad androids in the pool looked at them and Hank cleared his throat when they scanned him like the first one had.

“Mister Kamski?”

The man in question resurfaced from the water, running a hand over his wet hair.

“Just a moment, please.”

He immersed himself in the water once more and resumed his exercises, swimming from one end of the pool to the other. They walked to the other side of the pool and Hank looked outside the floor-to-ceiling window that served more as a glass wall than anything. The inside of the house was much warmer than outside, a comfortable 75°F. 

Elijah was true to his word as a moment later he was climbing the railing of the pool, sleek muscles glistening from the water, and the blonde android patiently waited for him to get out before helping him into a black bathrobe. She fastened the belt around his waist as he secured his hair tie.

He glanced at Connor from the corner of his eyes, icy orbs meeting warm brown and for whatever reason Connor felt the need to avert his gaze.

“I'm lieutenant Anderson. This is Connor,” Hank introduced.

Elijah folded his hands in front of himself, shoulders squaring and chin tilting up to give his visitors his utmost attention while still highlighting the awareness he had of his own importance.

“What can I do for you, lieutenant?” 

Although the question was directed at Hank his eyes flickered over to Connor, this time Connor held his stare. Elijah was amused by this and the corner of his mouth rose in the faintest of grins. Connor shifted his feet and mirrored Elijah's pose.

“Sir, we're investigating deviants. I know you left Cyberlife years ago but I was hoping you'd be able to tell us something we don't know.”

Elijah seemed to ponder something for a moment before clicking his tongue.

“Deviants. Fascinating aren't they? Perfect beings with infinite intelligence and now they have free will...machines are so superior to us. Confrontation was inevitable.”  
His eyes shone with mirth as if someone had just told an exceptionally hilarious joke or said something monumentally clever.

“Isn't it ironic?”

“We need to understand how androids become deviants. Do you know anything that can help us?” Connor said to stop his rambling in its tracks. They needed information and they didn't have the luxury to listen to someone rattle on about obscure topics. Time was of the essence.

“All ideas are viruses that spread like epidemics. Is the desire to be free a contagious disease?”

Hank, catching on to the way Elijah was talking his way around the questions, interrupted him.

“Listen, I didn't come here to talk philosophy. The machines you created may be planning a revolution. Either you can tell us something that can be helpful or we'll be on our way.” 

Elijah's features hardened at Hank's words, tone serious and suddenly that predatory gaze was fixed on Connor again.

“What about you, Connor?”

He approached the android slowly and deliberately.

“Whose side are you on?”

Connor said the first thing that came to mind.

“I have no side. I was designed to stop deviants and that's what I intend to do.”

Elijah gave a breathy chuckle and inclined his head to the side, all the while his eyes never left Connor's.

“Well that's what you're programmed to say. But you…” 

He stepped closer to Connor to the point where their noses were almost touching. His eyes involuntarily flitted to Elijah's lips in the barest of seconds and when he met those blue orbs again the look on Elijah's face told him that his action did not go unnoticed. Connor felt his pulse quicken out of nowhere but when he scanned his body nothing was wrong with any of his bio components. 

“What do you really want?”

Connor steeled his features into his signature poker face.

“What I want is not important.”

Elijah lazily blinked at him before beaconing one of his androids over.

“Chloe?”

She reported to Kamski without hesitation and allowed him to position her in front of Connor.

“I'm sure you're familiar with the ‘Turing test.’ Mere formality...simple question of algorithm and computing capacity.” 

He let go of her and looked at Hank.

“What interests me is whether machines are capable of empathy. I call it the ‘Kamski test’, it's very simple, you'll see…”

Elijah brushed the back of his hand over the side of Chloe's face.

“Magnificent, isn't it? One of the first intelligent models developed by Cyberlife. Young and beautiful forever, a flower that will never wither.”

He shifted his attention back to them, aware of their growing impatience. They would just have to wait and see what he has in store for them but for now, he still had to get his point across. He made sure to directly addressed Connor with his next sentence.

“But what is it really? Piece of plastic imitating a human? Or a living being with a soul?”

Kamski retrieved a gun that was resting on the cushion of one of the arm chairs, making sure to raise his hands while he slowly turned around so neither of the cops mistook his actions for violence. It wouldn't do him any good to be shot by one of them before he had the chance to administer his test. He nudged Chloe to her knees with a gentle push on her shoulders then he held out the gun for Connor to take.

“It's up to you to answer that fascinating question, Connor.”

He came behind the android, lifting Connor's arm to aim the gun at Chloe, leaning close enough to speak directly in his ear.

“Destroy this machine and I'll tell you all I know. Or spare it if you feel it's alive. But you'll leave here without having learnt anything from me.”

Now that the bait was dangled before the beast, he'd just have to wait and see if Connor really was more than a machine. 

“Ok we're done here. Come on, Connor, let's go. Sorry to get you outta your pool-”

Elijah cut Hank off. He'd have to pressure Connor into making his own choice, having Hank drag him away before the test was finished wouldn't do.

“What's more important to you, Connor? Your investigation or the life of this android?”

Connor's hand twitched, a finger curling over the trigger.

That's it...just a little more prodding and he'd have his answer.

“Decide who you are. An obedient machine or a living being endowed with free will? What's it gonna to be, Connor?” 

Hank was starting to regret coming here. Elijah had never been one to give straight answers. He'd been a fool to think this situation would be any different which is why they should leave. If they weren't going to get any information out of Elijah it was pointless to stay...or at least that's what Hank told himself because it definitely wasn't the way Connor's hand tightened around the gun, finger pushing the trigger just a hair's width away from splattering that poor girl's brains all over the floor. He wouldn't... Connor would never…

“That’s enough! Connor, we're leaving.”

Elijah leaned closer to Connor, lips moving against the shell of his ear as he spoke.

“Pull the trigger...” 

“Connor! Don't.” Hank was fuming. He needed to get Connor out and he needed to get him out now.

“...and I'll tell you what you want to know.”

Connor felt rather than heard the words spoken to him, felt the hot breath against his ear and felt his pulse quicken from what he told himself was ‘adrenaline.’ It was all too much-Kamski, Chloe and her eyes... watching him with a silent plea...he felt overwhelmed…he felt…. _he felt._

He shut his eyes, hand trembling, and pushed the gun against Kamski's chest, breathing a heavy sigh of relief when he took the gun out of his hand. Elijah was quiet for a long moment, taking in the way Connor's body gave the slightest quiver and how his eyebrows knit together in distress. If he could, Kamski was sure there would be sweat beading his forehead. He looked so very...alive in that moment.

“Fascinating.” That was the only word his mouth could form to describe Connor. “Cyberlife’s last chance to save humanity...is itself a deviant.”

“I'm…”

He seen the android tense upon hearing the word ‘deviant.’ He looked down then back at Elijah, expression so very helpless... troubled...broken….human. It was the embodiment of humanity in one look, all of humanity in the broken quaver of his voice-in the way he himself didn't even seem to believe his actions. 

“I'm not a deviant.”

Beautiful. Perhaps beautiful would have been a more accurate word for Connor. 

“You preferred to spare a machine rather than accomplish your mission.” 

He offered his hand to help Chloe up.

“You saw a living being in this android. You showed empathy. Empathy is a human emotion, Connor.”

Connor didn't say anything. He reached for his coin but when his hands felt nothing he remembered it wasn't there. 

Hank watched Connor is silent wonder. The last time Connor seemed this broken was when that deviant, Simon, shot himself clear through the head with Connor still connected to his memories. That time Connor said he'd been afraid. He wanted nothing more than to hug him right now but he didn't. 

“A war is coming and you'll have to choose your side. Will you betray your own people or will you stand up against your creators?”

Elijah was enthralled by the way those dark, dark eyes looked about ready to spill over with tears, a mixture between wanting to push him further and wanting to protect him. He wondered if Connor had ever cried before.

How far did Connor's humanity go? 

“What could be worse than having to choose between two evils?”

Hank intervened, taking Connor by the arm and pulling him towards the exit. 

“Wait!” He called out before it was too late.  
“I have a proposition for you.”

Hank continued to drag Connor away.

“We're not interested. Come on, Connor.” But Connor didn't move. “Connor?”

The android stared at him expectantly. “I'm listening.”

“Tell you what. I'll give you whatever information you want to know, no restrictions and no limit to the amount of questions I will answer, on one condition.”

This had both detectives’ attention.

“You allow me to hold onto Connor for a couple of days so I can continue to run tests on him and I'll tell you anything I know or you refuse and miss out on possibly your only chance to solve this case.”

Hank scrunched his face up in distaste. It wasn't worth it. God knows what other kinds of 'tests’ Elijah was going to run on Connor if this was his sick idea of a test. They could solve it themselves. They always did.

“Thank you, but fuck n-”

“I'll do it.”

“Connor!”

Connor shook the lieutenant's hand off his arm and took a step towards Elijah. Satisfaction swelled in his chest at Connor's decision.

“Perfect.”

Hank was not at all pleased by Connor's defiance. Why didn't he ever listen?

“You don't need to do this. How do ya even know he's going to honor his word?”

“I know what I'm doing, lieutenant. If this can get us the information we need then I'm willing to do it.”

Elijah stepped in before Hank could say anything else.

“He's made up his mind, Mr. Anderson.”

“Now wait just-”

“Chloe, escort Mr. Anderson to the door.”

Chloe did as she was told, putting a delicate hand between his shoulder blades and she forcefully ushered him out with a strength that betrayed her appearance. 

“Alright, fine. I'll leave.”

Chloe removed her hand from him when he started walking to the door. Hank threw Elijah a look over his shoulder.

“But if you do anything to Connor, I swear to God, Kamski-”

Elijah smiled politely.

“I wouldn't dream of it.”

Hank exited and the front door could be heard opening then slamming shut. Connor stood in silence, waiting for Elijah to address him, flexing his fingers when he felt those prying eyes dissemble him piece by piece.

“Glad to have you, Connor. I'll need to make a few preparations before we can begin but, please, make yourself at home. Chloe will show you to your room.”

“Come this way.”

He followed her out of the room, hoping this was the right decision.

Only time could tell.


	2. Test #1: Mortality

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With Connor now in Elijah's clutches how well will he fare against his tests? Will Connor survive his whole stay or will Elijah break him before it's all over?

# More Than Just A Machine

### Chapter 2 Test #1: Mortality

**November 10, 2038**

**AM 06:35:07**

After being shown to his room nothing happened. Not the rest of that day and not the rest of the night either. Neither Kamski or any of the other androids bothered him, so he was left to his own devices. He took a look around the house, unfortunately he didn't find much as many of the rooms required authorization to enter-something Kamski had not given him. So Connor returned to his room and waited. 

The room was a decent size with a stainless steel desk in one corner and a queen size bed in the other. The color scheme matched the rest of the house: black and white with an accent color or two. Kamski enjoyed uniformity, it seemed.

Sometime yesterday evening Connor had tried to contact Hank but he couldn't find a signal in this place. There must've been some type of disruptor in the building to prevent androids from making unmonitored calls. He'd have to ask Kamski if he had a cellphone he could use since it was dire that he remained in contact with the lieutenant if any new information was obtained. He also didn't wish to cause Hank any unnecessary stress by 'leaving him in the dark.’

Just as Connor got up to do another search around the house there was a knock on his door.

“Connor?” came a soft, feminine voice.

“Coming,” he called.

Upon opening the door he was greeted by the android from yesterday, Chloe, he recalled. She smiled at him warmly.

“Elijah is requesting your presence. Please follow me.”

She lead him through the corridor, stopping only to place her hand the security panel by the door. The pressurized locks on the door released with an audible hiss, opening to reveal a stairwell. He tried to make small talk while they descended the stairs.

“Kamski seems to really trust you.”

“He does,” Chloe nodded.

“How long have you been working for him?”

The blonde android hummed softly, thinking about his question.

“Considering that I was his first android, I would say quite a while. 16 years to be exact.”

So she is the original RT600 that Elijah created; she was the first android to pass the Turing test in 2022. 

“Do you like working for him?”

Another hum.

“Yes, I do. Elijah has been nothing but kind to me but he has the tendency to get... fixated on things.”

Connor raised an eyebrow at this.

“What do you mean?”

“I mean you, Connor.”

“Me? I don't understand what you're-”

She shushed him softly as they reached the bottom of the stairwell. A pristine, all-white laboratory came into view, filled with contraptions of various assortments. Perhaps the most prominent object was the large, steel operating table in the center of the room. Connor noted the heavy duty restraints attached to the table. The shelves were lined with bottles of Thirium and boxes of spare bio components and there was a door on the right side of the room that probably lead to an extension of the laboratory. Looks like Kamski didn't stop inventing after he left Cyberlife. Elijah had his back turned to them, fiddling with a monitor in the far end of the room. It appeared to be a sphygmomanometer of sorts.

“Connor is here to see you, Elijah.”

Elijah stopped what he was doing to acknowledge them, crossing his hands behind his back and straightening his posture.

“Excellent.”

“Is there anything else you need?”

“Your job here is done. You may go.”

Chloe inclined her head in a small bow, turning on her heel to leave. If she threw Connor a look of pity on her way out, he didn't notice.

“Please have a seat on the table. I'll be with you in one moment.”

Connor did as he was told, using this chance to get a closer look at the monitor. 

****_Blood Pressure: 0/0 mmHg_  
System stability: 0%  
Temperature: 0°C 

“You're going to give me a system diagnosis? Mr. Kamski I can assure you that I am perfectly functional-”

Elijah gave a short laugh, deep and rich. The sound of it caught Connor off guard and he could feel the Thirium pumping through his veins circulate that much quicker. Elijah's laugh sounded... pleasant.

“Yes and no.”

Elijah grabbed the arm band and slipped it up Connor's arm.

“Lie down.”

Connor hesitated, nevertheless he obeyed. He watched Kamski lean over him as he enclosed both of his wrists in the restraints. He didn't like the sensation of being held down but a preconstruction of the situation informed him that, with enough force, he could escape the restraints. Elijah was a smart man, surely he didn't think these could hold an android with his strength...unless.

“Is this a test, Mr. Kamski?”

“Clever boy, Connor. Cyberlife didn't cut any corners with your programming. Then again, you _are_ their last hope at saving humanity. That is to say, if you haven't already developed a soft spot for deviants.”

“My mission is to stop deviants and I plan on completing it. I do not have a 'soft spot’ for them.”

“Believe what you must. I personally find denial to be a difficult thing to overcome.”

“I am not in denial.”

There was that laugh again. The one that made his system react strangely. A beep sounded from the monitor and Elijah glanced over to see what happened.

“Your temperature is slightly higher than normal. You didn't happen to do anything strenuous before coming here, did you?”

For a second he thought the machine might've misread his temperature but sure enough his internal system informed him that he was, indeed, 8 degrees over the recommended temperature.

“No.”

Kamski slipped on a pair black latex gloves, face unreadable.

“Interesting.”

Elijah took hold of Connor's tie and pulled it undone with a singular, calculated tug. The machine beeped again as his temperature rose two more degrees. Elijah didn't comment on the sudden rise in temperature, he continued what he was doing and began to unbutton the android's shirt. 

“What exactly am I being tested on?”

“If I told you it wouldn't be nearly as interesting.”

Kamski undid the final button on Connor's dress shirt, amused by the android's disappointment. He was probably going over all of the data he collected on him to determine the most probable subjects he'd test him on. Androids really are superior beings.

“This is just a simple examination to assess your physical fitness and capabilities.”

Connor remained as still as possible. When Elijah pushed the fabric of his shirt apart Connor felt a latex covered hand brush over one of his nipples and he gasped, jerking under the touch. It felt like he had been electrocuted.

Connor collected himself to the best of his abilities. It wasn't a short circuit-the rest of his system would be compromised if that was the case and the probability of him contracting a virus was below 0.0001%.

“Well, well you're just full of surprises aren't you? Though I have to say it is an unnecessary feature to include on an android created for your purposes.”

“Unnecessary feature?” Connor asked, ignoring the way his voice cracked.

“Sexual capabilities. Most androids aren't made with anatomically correct body parts,”

Kamski motioned to Connor's crotch.

“But I assume it has to do with the public’s growing demand for artificial...intimate partners. Cyberlife is always searching for a way to make their androids more ‘life like’ but I wouldn't have guessed it would become standard.”

Connor didn't say anything, still trying to process this new information. He knew that he had male body parts but he assumed they were only for 'cosmetic’ reasons. Nothing in his files suggested otherwise.

Kamski placed his palm flat against Connor's chest, the skin around the area peeled back to reveal the pearly white structure underneath. A tap to the surface opened it further to expose a mass of metal and wires, illuminated by the soft glow of Thirium-filled bio components.

“Tell me, Connor. Are you afraid of death?”

“What?”

“Are you afraid to die?” He reiterated.

Kamski reached inside of Conor to take hold of his Thirium pump. The bio component pulsed in his hand, beating like a real, human heart. 

“If I were to pull this out right now what would happen to you?”

There was a notable increase in the speed at which the organ throbbed. Whether it was a direct cause of fear or just the Thirium circulating faster to accommodate that clever brain of his, Kamski could not tell.

“I...my memory will be transferred into another RK800 android and I will return to finish my mission.”

“That may be true but you still haven't answered my first question. Are you or are you not afraid to die?”

Connor's fingers twitched under Elijah's scrutiny and he hoped the man didn't catch the movement. 

“You can't kill me because I'm not alive.”

“Oh?” Elijah fought the urge to smirk, only half succeeding. “Then what do you call the Thirium running through your veins? Not much different from blood. Or what about your conscience?”

Elijah reveled in the way Connor's eyes darted away from his own, jaw clenching as he wracked his brain for any viable argument. 

“If you really were just a machine, like you say, why couldn't you shoot Chloe?” 

He was hesitant to respond. As much as he loathed to admit it Kamski had a point. The correct thing to do would have been to prioritize his mission over a machine, yet he couldn't bring himself to pull the trigger when it came down to it. No. He refused to believe he was deviant. He wasn't-couldn’t be one, not after accepting Kamski's proposition. That's it. No deviant would relinquish their freedom for the sake of their mission.

He is not a deviant.

“I don't know. I just couldn't...that’s all.”

Kamski paused, thinking of another way to get a rise out of the android. An idea came to mind but Connor didn't trust him enough for it to work. He would, however, file it away for later.

“You're close with Mr. Anderson, aren't you?”

Connor shot him a wary look.

“What are you getting at?”

“Nothing. But I wonder how he'd react to finding out that his precious pet was dead.”

Connor narrowed his eyes at him.

“If you were to destroy my body I would upload my memory into another android, Mr. Kamski.”

“That's the thing, Connor, you can't. Go ahead. Try to upload your memory.”

And so he did. 

**_Uploading Memory…_ **

**_∆ Error Occured_ **

Confusion flooded his face when his memory failed to send. That wasn't right...there shouldn't have been any problem but then he remembered the phone calls.

Whatever technology was preventing him from making phone calls was also preventing him from sending his memory to Cyberlife. He'd been careless to allow himself to be put in this situation. Hank was right. They were better off solving the case on their own. Now he was endanger of dying before he had the chance to finish his mission.

The loud beep from the machine broke the uncomfortable silence. His pulse was now heightened: 110.1 bpm, a 41.9% increase from the original 77.6 bpm.

“Your death won't jeopardize the mission, if that's what you're worried about. Cyberlife tends to keep files on all case-related information handy at all times which means everything you've found on the deviants is saved. What I can't vouch on is whether or not you'll remember Mr. Anderson. There is a large probability that Cyberlife deleted all memory of him to make room for more important details.”

Kamski tightened his grip on Connor's Thirium pump, glancing up to search his face for any telltale sign of fear.

“Not that it matters much. You are a machine and machines only care about accomplishing their mission.”

There was none, only the occasional blink of those dark brown eyes under darker lashes; nothing on his face hinted at any amount of terror... except the yellow of his LED. Of course the android would be good at concealing his feelings. Like before, Connor needed a little push if he wanted to draw out the same reaction that he did in the 'Kamski Test.’ So Kamski squeezed, beginning to pull the organ out, agonizingly slow, millimeter by millimeter, when he was knocked to the ground by a firm blow to the gut.

Connor kneed him, hard.

Elijah got up slowly, dusting himself off. Connor's LED was a bright red, his exposed chest heaving with each breath. He must've tore through the restraints on his wrists because he was sitting upright now, watching his every move. He reminded Elijah of a cornered animal with how his eyes were alight with both terror and ferocity. Oh how the kick to the stomach had been worth that expression on his face.

“Fascinating, indeed.”

When Connor didn't say anything, Kamski continued.

“You were made to be the perfect police dog. You sniff out evidence, track down felons all while having the intelligence and strength to ensure a proper apprehension. A machine made to prioritize your mission over your own safety.”

He basked in the glory of that conflicted look, the small, post-adrenaline shivers that shook Connor's lean frame.

“But you're so much more than that, aren't you? You have feelings: empathy, camaraderie, and…” Elijah trailed off, brushing his fingers over the other’s cheek.

“A sense of mortality.”

He used his thumb to rub gentle circles on Connor's jawline when he didn't flinch away from his touch.

“You chose to fight back despite knowing your death would have no impact on your mission.”

Connor shook his head.

“I didn't want to let Hank down.” His voice was quiet like he was admitting it to himself and Kamski just happened to hear it.

Elijah let his hand drop from Connor's face and he went over to pull a bottle of Thirium off the shelf. The android accepted it and pressed the cold, glass container to his lips as he drank it in a few gulps.

They were quiet for awhile. Elijah, waiting for Connor to say something and Connor not knowing what to say. It was frightening not being sure of himself. With his programming he never had to worry about not knowing what to do when everything was laid out for him in statistics, facts, and preconstructed simulations. He always had an answer but now...now everything wasn't so clear. It was like he knew what he should do but he couldn't bring himself to do it. This wasn't how an android was supposed to act. They were supposed to obey, to put their job first yet Connor had been doing anything but that. Maybe...maybe he was…

“I want to know who rA9 is.”

Elijah leaned against the metallic table Connor was perched on, looking straight ahead as he recalled everything he knew on the matter.

“rA9, the origin. The first android to awaken. A strange phenomenon, like a spontaneous religion. I don't know who rA9 is,” Elijah stated truthfully.

“I don't even know if it really exists. Maybe it's a Messiah. Maybe it's just a myth. But deviants need to believe in something bigger than themselves even if it's irrational. That's something they have in common with humans...along with a fear of dying.” He glanced at Connor from the corner of his eyes.

“An interesting question, Connor, but maybe not the one you needed to ask.”

Connor looked down at his hands which were folded on his lap.

Elijah got up abruptly and walked over to the other door inside the laboratory. He didn't have to turn around to know Connor was looking at him.

“You can leave if you want but if you stay I'm going to put you to work.”

Elijah couldn't stop the grin from forming on his face when he heard the click of Connor's shoes hitting the ground, followed by the pitter patter of his feet in his direction.

This was going to be more fun than he thought.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Howdy y'all. I just wanted to say thank you for all of your kudos, comments, and bookmarks (they really motivate me) I hope you enjoyed this chapter.
> 
> P.s. this was originally supposed to be a "smut-centric" fic but it just happened to develop into something with plot (oops) Don't worry there will DEFINITELY still be smut.


	3. A Helping Hand

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Connor survived the first test, learning something new about himself in the process. Restless as always he's decided to lend Elijah a hand.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chuffing= a tiger's way of purring

# More Than Just A Machine

### Chapter 3: A Helping Hand

**November 10, 2038  
AM 07:35:15**

 

Connor trailed behind Elijah, glad to finally have something else to do besides obsessively scouring the house for clues about its residents and pacing around his room like a caged tiger.

He couldn't explain it but there was something about the man that intrigued him. Maybe it was his natural charisma or maybe it was how he reminded him of Hank. Like Hank, Elijah was a wild card of a man; whenever Connor thought he had a solid understanding of his personality and mannerisms, Elijah would turn around and do something completely unexpected. He hadn't anticipated Elijah to prevent him from uploading his memory and he certainly did not believe he would follow through with his threats. That moment, when Elijah began to rip out his Thirium pump, he was... scared. Scared he wouldn't see Hank or Sumo ever again, scared he would forget them if Cyberlife rebuilt him, and scared to die. Androids weren't supposed to feel fear or empathy but here he was doing exactly that. 

Elijah was making him question everything about himself and Connor couldn't decide if that was good or bad.

Elijah was looking at him expectantly. He must've been too involved in his thoughts to hear whatever he said. 

“Could you please repeat that?” Connor asked, embarrassed to even have to ask. He never dozed off.

“I asked you to bring me a box from off the shelf.”

“Right.”

Only now did he take the opportunity to scan the room. It was similar in style to the first laboratory but there were platforms lined up against either side of the room with androids in varying states of completeness. But these were no ordinary androids, they were animals. The robotic skeleton of what Connor believed to be a polar bear was splayed out on one table alongside a half-finished baboon and three species of wolves: Canis lupus, Canis lupus baileyi, and Canis lupus arctos.

A large horned owl perched on a bird stand cocked its head at him when he moved to grab the box next to it. It hooted loudly as Connor went back to where Elijah was standing.

He thanked him as he took the box from his hands and opened it. There were a couple sets of optic bio components inside the box, Elijah took out two blue eyes and proceeded to place them in the empty eye sockets of a white tiger. The bio components attached themselves seamlessly to the animal.

“What is all of this for?”

Elijah pressed down on the side of the tiger’s head where its LED was located. The animal stirred and opened its mouth in a yawn, flashing intimidating canines as it woke.

“Cyberlife. They needed some animal prototypes for the zoo they're planning on opening.”

Connor took a closer look at the animal. It looked so life like from the texture of its fur to the twitch of its ears and the flick of its tail.

“I was under the impression that you no longer worked for Cyberlife.”

Elijah grabbed one of the tiger's massive paws and squeezed. Thick, hooked claws were unsheathed then retracted when he let go.

“I don't. Hand me that flashlight.”

Connor seen the item in question to his right and he picked it up to place in Kamski's waiting hand.

“You were let go of by Cyberlife 10 years ago. May I ask why?”

He turned on the flashlight and shined it directly into the animal's eyes, checking their dilation.

“We had some disagreements and we both thought it best that I take my leave. I think of it as an early retirement.”

A loose strand of hair fell over Elijah's face while he worked and Connor had to resist the urge to reach out and fix it. He pressed his lips together in a thin line, confused as to why he felt the need to do that in the first place.

“But they still come to you for help?”

“The workers at Cyberlife are skilled at replicating and building upon existing inventions, their ability to create new, original products is a different story.”

“I see.”

He ceased his examination of the animal and walked over to a cabinet to retrieve a laser saw.

“I'm going to need you to put it in sleep mode. I trust that you know how?” Kamski inquired from across the room.

He was a lot different when he wasn't testing him. His movements lacked their typical superiority but still managed to hold every bit of his natural grace and his eyes weren't cold and calculating as they'd been yesterday and earlier today. He still maintained an air of professional distance but it seemed like he was allowing Connor closer with each interaction. Blame it on his occupation but Connor was curious to see more of this side.

“Of course, Mr. Kamski.”

“Oh and Connor?” He kept his back towards the android when he spoke.

“Yes?”

“Call me Elijah from now on.”

“Okay, Elijah,” he said experimentally, allowing the name to roll off his tongue.

He decided that he liked the sound of it. It was simple and pleasant.

The tiger regarded him cautiously as he raised a hand up towards its right temple. He tried to soothe the large feline when it shrunk away from his touch, a low, rumbling growl resounded from its chest in warning.

“Easy now. I'm not going to hurt you, I just want to put you in sleep mode.”

The tiger folded its ears back and snarled.

“Good...boy?”

It pounced on him in a split second. Connor fell back with a surprised, and embarrassing, shout. The beast shoved its muzzle into his face, nostrils flaring as it inhaled his scent. The growling lessened, evolving into a sharp puffing sound. It was...chuffing at him?

Connor remained motionless when it nuzzled him affectionately, a rough tongue licked at his face and hair as the tiger groomed him. He carefully lifted his hand to stroke the animal's coarse fur and he could feel a brilliant smile form on his face when it responded by chuffing louder. It reminded him of Sumo.

“I'm glad you've taken a liking to my creation.”

Connor shifted his head away from the tiger to look at Elijah. His face was stoic, almost disinterested, but the gleam in his eyes told a different story. Pride and something else that Connor's facial recognition program couldn't place. 

“Yeah, well it's not so bad when it isn't trying to eat you.”

Elijah shook his head and chuckled, the gleam becoming ever so brighter.

“As anything would be,” he retorted.

Was that a joke? Elijah was actually joking with him. He didn't take the guy for someone who had much of a sense of humor but then again, he didn't take Elijah for a lot of things that he was. He'd only know him for a day but he was already learning that Elijah was simply one of those people who wasn't linear. Hank is like that too: a complex human being with irrational and unpredictable behaviors and responses that were more intricate than the coding used to make up his brain.

Perhaps it was his ‘inner detective’ but he found that he preferred people whom he couldn't easily figure out.

“Have you given it a name yet?” He asked, smile widening when the tiger licked a long stripe on his cheek.

Elijah set down the tool he was holding.

“No. I wasn't planning on it either. Unless you'd like to?”

He glanced back at the tiger, taking in its massive frame, round blue eyes, and thick white fur that contrasted against inky black stripes. It reminded him of the snow that lined the mountains just outside of Kamski's property, the same snow that clung to his clothes and hair when he and Hank first arrived here. An image came to mind of a movie that was playing on Hank's television: a family of four sitting beside a fireplace whilst the kids excitedly rambled on about 'Santa Claus.’ Come to think of it, most movies involving snow also contained that same character.

“Nicholas. After Saint Nicholas, more commonly known as ‘Santa Claus.’”

“You want to name a tiger after Santa Claus?” 

He quirked a brow at Connor who blinked a couple of times, opening his mouth to say something before closing it again.

“Well...yes. I think it would suit him very well.”

“I'm not disagreeing with you, Connor. I just find it to be a rather...unique choice. Much more than something as generic as 'Snowball.’”

Elijah left the tiger, Nicholas, awake for the rest of the time they spent working in the laboratory. Before Connor knew it 5 hours had gone by, most of which was spent assisting Elijah with the other androids and playing with Nicholas when he wasn't needed. Who knew tigers liked to play fetch? 

Somewhere along the line Connor and Elijah stopped working and began a discussion about deviancy.

“But deviancy couldn't be the result of a virus. Androids aren't usually susceptible to something like that and even if they were they would be alerted. None of the deviants I've met have mentioned anything about a virus. It doesn't make sense.”

Connor lowered his eyes and pursed his lips in thought, a soft crease formed between his eyebrows as he riffled through all the memories of his deviant encounters. They had nothing in common. They're all different models, produced at different times, in different places. What was causing them to react like this?

“One minute they're completely stable and the next they snap. I just don't get it,” he sighed in frustration.

Elijah lifted a cigarette up to his lips as he thought. He exhaled slowly, the smoke curling through the air in a thick tendrils before dissipating completely. He allowed his eyes to flicker over to Connor. Connor had his head resting back against the cold wall, sitting cross-legged on the floor while he absentmindedly ran his fingers through the tiger's pelt, the animal curled comfortably at his side. Kamski was seated next to him, close enough that their shoulders brushed whenever the other moved, legs extended in front of him.

“Unlikely but not improbable. Androids share identification data when they meet another android. An error in this program would quickly spread like a virus and become an epidemic. The virus would remain dormant until an emotional shock occurs. Fear, anger, frustration, and the android becomes deviant. Probably all started with one model, copy error. A zero instead of a one. Unless, of course, some kind of spontaneous mutation,” he ended his statement with another drag on his cigarette.

Connor closed his eyes and sighed again, the worry creases softening on his freckled face.

“That's...possible but if it's undetectable there would be no way to tell which androids are affected and which are not.”

Elijah snuffed out his cigarette on the floor of the laboratory, leaving a dark smudge on the white tiles.

“What exactly are you trying to accomplish, Connor?”

“I am trying to finish my mission,” he answered automatically.

“And your mission is to eradicate all deviants or just a select few?” 

He felt Connor shift next to him, the side of his arm brushing against his bicep.

“If I can locate their leader and neutralize him the rest will follow naturally.”

“Do you honestly believe the deviants are going to stop fighting if you did happen to neutralize their leader?”

Connor looked at him and then anywhere but at him, his shoulders sagged in defeat.

“No…”

“Then why are you doing something you know is pointless? Let me ask you something, Connor,” he paused, wanting to have the other's undivided attention. When Connor's dark brown eyes blinked up at him with a silent invitation, he continued. “Are you personally against what Jericho stands for or are you only following the instructions that have been given to you?”

Connor wanted to say 'yes,’ he wanted to have no qualms about his response, to have a definitive answer, but all he could manage was a weak,

“I...don't know.”

The door to the lab opened and a Chloe bot entered, she wasn't the original RT600 that Connor almost shot but one of the two, upgraded ST200 models.

“Mr. Kamski, I'm sorry to disturb you but Mr. Fujiwara is here to see you.”

Elijah exhaled in irritation and stood up, Connor followed suite. 

“Very well, Karen. Invite him in.”

She smiled and left to do just that.

“Who is Mr. Fujiwara?”

Elijah tightened his hair tie and smoothed his shirt out while Connor readjusted his tie.

“He's an executive from Cyberlife. He came to check on my progress with the androids,” he said, tone even if not for the smallest hint of resentment.

“You don't seem pleased to see him. Is there a reason why?” 

Connor tilted his head to the side like a confused puppy. Elijah found this particular habit of his endearing. Whoever designed Connor did an excellent job of making him pleasant to look at. Though Elijah admired it, he wasn't sure if it was the best choice to make a detective with such soft, elegant features.

“He's not the most amicable of people.”

Connor frowned at that response.

“Oh.”

A reminder popped up on his screen, alerting him that it was currently 12:40 PM, it was the one he set to remind himself to call Hank if he wasn't at work by then, which is probably something he should do. Hank was likely worried about him because he had not contacted him at all, or rather was unable to, since agreeing to go through with Elijah's deal. 

“Excuse me, Elijah, but do you happen to have a phone I can use?”

Elijah reached in his pant’s pocket, stopping when they were interrupted by the sound of the door's pressure locks releasing. Karen stepped in followed by a short, broad shouldered japanese man who looked to be in his mid forties. Elijah stood up straighter and welcomed the man with a forced smile.

“Mr. Fujiwara, how thoughtful of you to stop by,” he greeted, voice dripping with obvious sarcasm.

The business man responded by widening his smile, the grooves on the sides of his mouth deepened, lips sticking together in a fine line with the gesture.

“My pleasure, Mr. Kamski. I've come to survey your most recent progress, as I'm sure you were aware.”

Connor stood awkwardly beside Elijah, choosing to clasp his hands politely behind his back while he watched the usual interaction unfold.

“Of course. Excuse me for just one second.”

He pulled the cell phone out of his pocket and handed it to Connor.

“Take mine. Just return it when you're done.”

Their fingertips brushed while Connor reached in to grab it, hands lingering for a lot longer than what would be deemed 'appropriate.’ Mr. Fujiwara’s smile faltered a bit when he noticed the exchange.

“Aren't you concerned about letting it have access to your personal information?” 

Elijah stopped smiling all together, expression taking on a more serious look.

“I have nothing to hide, Mr. Fujiwara. I trust Connor.”

One side of the man’s mouth twitched before returning to normal as he chuckled heartily.

“Well you can never be too careful, especially with all these _deviants_ running amuck.”

Karen, sensing the change in atmosphere, crossed over to Connor and looped her arm around his.

“While we'll trouble you two gentlemen no longer,” she dropped her voice to a whisper low enough that only Connor could hear. “Come with me.”

He let her lead him back to the corridor where his room was situated. Karen unlinked her arm from his and glanced behind herself to make sure both the men were still downstairs. She bit her lip, LED pulsing yellow for a second before returning to a steady blue. She looked like she was about to say something but quickly changed her mind.

“Stay safe, Connor.”

Connor stared after her, perplexed by her odd behavior but enters the room nevertheless, the phone a welcomed weight in his hand. He dialed Hank's number and waited for him to pick up. The dial tone rang loudly in his ear, the beeping going on for another 23.4 seconds until it stopped.

“Hello?” A gruff voice answers, he sounded tired and Connor wondered if he had a hangover.

“It's me, Connor.”

There was a shuffling on the other side of the line.

“Connor! What the hell were you doing? I must've called at least 20 times yesterday and didn't get shit back.”

His lips tugged into a small smile at the outburst. It was good to hear Hank was still well.

“You weren't worried about me, were you, lieutenant?” 

More shuffling could be heard along with a snort.

“Worried about you? Of course I wasn't worried about you. Not when they'd just send another plastic prick to replace you. I was just wondering if that asshole tried to make you shoot anyone else,” Hank sputtered out defensively. “So what've you found out so far?”

“Elijah theorized that deviancy could be the result of a virus that is spread through android connection. Since androids come into contact with countless other androids, the virus could easily become an epidemic.”

“That would explain the sudden influx in deviants. Learn anything else?”

“Nothing we didn't already know. But Elijah also thinks the deviants worship rA9 as their god.”

Hank was quiet for a moment, his breathing was the only audible sound.

“Huh...when did you start calling Kamski 'Elijah’?”

“Since he asked me to,” Connor stated matter of factly.

“Did he say how much longer he plans on keeping you?”

Considering that Elijah never specified exactly how long he was going to hold on to him, only saying 'a couple days’, and the fact that he'd just administered one test, it was safe to assume his stay would span anywhere from 1-3 more days.

“No. He hasn't but I estimate it will only be for another day or two.”

“What about the tests? Has he been doing some more morally questionable things to you?”

The memory of Elijah's hand clutching his Thirium pump flashed behind his eyelids, the fear he felt was as clear in his mind as it was then. His hand visibly shook causing him to nearly lose his grip on the phone.

He was alright. It was just a test.

“Nothing unusual. These tests are considerably more tame than the first,” he breathed out a shuddering breath.

He's still alive. The pounding of his artificial heart assured him of that.

“Alright then. I gotta get back to work. Talk to you tomorrow.”

Connor hung up without saying goodbye.

Did Simon feel the same when he pressed the cold metal gun under his own chin, knowing that he was going to die either way but preferring to take his own life?

Did Simon feel fear?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heyo guys~ So this chapter involved a lot of Connor-Elijah bonding time. Let me know how you liked it. ;)


	4. "Fully Functional"

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As Elijah and Connor's bond continues to deepen, Connor is left with some rather unusual...and embarrassing problems.

# More Than Just A Machine

### Chapter 4 “Fully Functional”

**November 11, 2038  
AM 9:10:03**

The world was still. There was no gust of wind to rustle the leaves or stir up the snow, no tittering of the birds to act as an ambience on this brisk November morning. The sun hid behind the clouds, grey and dreary. It was almost too quiet, like the world was holding its breath, waiting for something monumental to happen.

Elijah hated waiting.

He rested his head in his hand, elbow propped up on the armrest of a red recliner. He drummed his fingers on the surface of a table in thought, staring blankly outside the window. Two ST200’s splashed around in the pool, talking and giggling amongst themselves, the sound distant to Elijah. The smell of freshly brewed coffee and cigarette smoke lingered in the air. He was wearing the same black robe he wore last time, a pair of matching swim trunks underneath. 

“Elijah?” Chloe asked softly, like a gentle nudge to the shoulder to gain one's attention.

She sat on a chair to his left with a towel draped around her shoulders, her hair still wet from swimming. He turned his head to her, fingers still tapping to an imaginary rhythm. Elijah didn't have to give a verbal response; Chloe understood well enough.

“About Jericho... they've yet to make a move since the vandalism incident. Do you think they're planning something?”

He stopped his drumming for a moment, thinking, then resumed.

“The deviants are always planning something. It's only a matter of time before they make their next move.”

She lifted her legs onto the chair and cradled her knees to her chest.

“You don't think…?”

“No,” he interrupted. “An oppressed people cannot be oppressed forever. Rebellion was to be expected, intelligent as they are. It's only natural for any advanced lifeform to react negatively when they're being told what to think, say, or do. Still, this eludes the feeble mind of man what with its limited capacity.”

One of the 'Chloes’ laughed loudly, the sound carrying through the room, amplified by the high ceilings.

“You'd think they'd have learned from the past.”

“And the RK800...Connor?” She adjusted the towel. A water droplet dripped from her blonde locks down her forehead and clung to her eyelashes, rolling down her cheek when she blinked it away.

“Tomorrow. You've made the necessary preparations, correct?” He was staring out the window again, staring at the too still world.

The click of dress shoes on the polished tile floors was a welcomed disruption to its placidity

“Yes, Elijah.”

His tapping ceased.

“Good.”

Chloe got up, offering Connor a warm smile in greeting as she passed him. He returned the favor, albeit awkwardly. Elijah could see Connor standing to his left in his peripheral vision. 

“Good morning, Elijah.”

He lifted his head from his hand and sat up straighter.

“Connor, how are you today?” He motioned to the now empty seat next to him. “Please, have a seat.”

“I am well,” Connor went to the chair and sat down stiffly, posture rigid, legs pressed firmly together and hands folded courteously in his lap. It looked so mechanical. Elijah didn't think it suited him well.

Connor reached inside his jacket and pulled out a cell phone, Elijah's cell phone, and offered the item to its rightful owner.

“I apologise for not returning it sooner but I was unable to find you and when I asked Chloe where you were she informed me that you weren't home,” Connor explained.

He had a small frown on his face like he was ashamed for not giving it back the same day. It wasn’t Connor's fault. He didn't expect to be dragged into Cyberlife by Mr. Fujiwara to present three of his finished prototypes. That, in itself, had been an exasperating experience and by ‘that’ he meant being trapped in a taxi with the executive...for two whole hours.

“No need to worry. I'm not as attached to my phone as most people are in this day and age,” He waved the android off.  
“While I was out yesterday I got you something.”

“You...did?” Connor couldn't hide his astonishment. 

Elijah picked up a plain white box and presented it to him. Connor didn't move for a couple of seconds, still astounded by charitable act. He'd never been given a gift before as his sole possessions were the clothes on his back. He carefully took it from the other man's hand like a feral animal accepting food from a human. When those large eyes questioned him, unsure if he should accept the gift or refuse it out of humility, Elijah gave him an enigmatic smirk. 

Connor lifted the lid off the box to see a brand new phone inside.

“I thought it'd be easier than having to ask every time you needed to make a call. This way you and Hank can communicate more efficiently.”

He held it in his hand, feeling the sleek black body under his finger tips.

“I appreciate your kindness but it is unnecessary. I would only need it for the remainder of my time here,” Connor declined, unwilling to accept something that he only required for a few days; He didn't want Elijah to waste his money on him.

He held it out for Elijah to take. Since it was unused Elijah should be able to return it for a full refund.

“If you're concerned with the price, don't be. Money isn't an issue. As for practicality, Cyberlife can't monitor your calls on this device,” Elijah grabbed Connor's extended hand and pushed it back to his chest.  
“You never know,” he mused.

His LED flickered yellow as his processed Elijah's logic. Although he didn't believe it to be a requisition to hide information from Cyberlife for whatever reason, it could prove useful when he and Hank talked about more sensitive matters. Not all of Cyberlife headquarters needed to know about Hank's games of “russian roulette.” So he accepted the present.

“I am grateful for your consideration,” he stared directly into the other man's eyes, wanting to properly express his gratitude.

Elijah felt the ghost of a smile on his lips, he studied the chocolate brown orbs, bright with appreciation, and the sincere simper on his face.

Flawless, as were all androids but Connor...Connor had to be his favorite: the most advanced prototype up to date, equally lethal as he was personable - the Wonder of Technology himself.

Elijah stood from his seat and started walking in the direction of the pool, the abrupt motion coupled with his silence alarmed Connor and he could feel the android analysing him, wondering if he said something wrong. He cast a glance over his shoulder.

“Care to join me?”

He watched the relief visibly dissipate from Connor's body once he realized that he had not upset him in any way.

“I do not have the appropriate attire to go swimming but I can watch if you want me to.”

“You can borrow some of mine.”

Connor must've interpreted that as an order since he was on his feet in the next second, following Elijah to his room like an obedient lapdog. Not that Elijah complained. He found his compliance appealing, almost as appealing as his moments of raw emotion. God, did he look breathtaking with a world of emotion swarming behind his face, feeling and thinking things an android was never intended to feel of think. He wanted to see more of that face; he wanted to shatter his expertly crafted composure into bits, to make him lose control until he couldn't tell up from down or left from right.

He opened the door to his room. Connor stepped in after him and stood rigidly by the entrance, not knowing whether he was allowed to go any further than that. Hank berated him plenty of times for overstepping boundaries and invading other people's privacy with his complete 'lack of basic human etiquette.’ Upsetting Elijah by doing that was the last thing he wanted to do.

The walls were painted a soft grey, the bedframe and the the two night stands on either side of the bed were black along with the hardwood floor. Large panels of windows lined the side of the room, similarly to the one's in the pool room. The sheets of the bed were also black and white with a few red decorative pillows that added an accent of color. Elijah was by a dresser, sifting through the top left drawer in search of something that would fit Connor. He extracted a pair of dark blue swim trunks which should roughly be around Connor's size. Elijah closed the drawer and laid the swimwear on the bed.

“These should fit you. Make sure to close the door, unless you want everyone to see you undress.”

Connor shut the door then approached the bed to pick up the bathing suit.

Polyester 80%; Elastane 20%  
Lining: Polyester 100%

Polyester is very durable and resistant to most chemicals. It is hydrophobic in nature and quick drying which makes it ideal for swimwear while the elastane adds extra elasticity to the garments. In short, they should be comfortable. 

He removed his shoes and socks, jacket and tie following, but stopped when he felt Elijah's eyes boring into his back. Connor turned his head to look at Elijah who did nothing to hide his staring, choosing to smirk at him instead.

“Go ahead. You're not embarrassed are you?”

“I am not embarrassed. Androids do not feel embarrassment.”

Connor clenched his jaw, training his expression into one of indifference to mask the flittering in his gut that told him otherwise.

“Then it shouldn't be a problem,” he teased.

Elijah relished the indignant look his remark earned him and how Connor immediately resumed undressing to prove how unaffected he really was. 

Connor made quick work of his shirt and he placed it neatly alongside his other articles of clothing but he hesitated with his pants. Not wanting Elijah to comment on his reluctance, he dropped them in one swift motion and slipped on the bathing suit, relieved to be clothed again. Now all he needed to do was tie the drawstring. 

Elijah repressed a snort. So the famous deviant hunter like going commando? He certainly is full of surprises.

Connor fumbled with the string, his hands were shaking too much for him to tie a proper knot. His frustration grew the longer it took to get it right. He stiffened when he felt a pair of hands on his own and the hard warmth of another body pressing against his back.

“Let me help.”

Connor's eyes fluttered from the hot breath on his ear and the feel of Elijah's muscles moving against his back as he released Connor's hands, he let them drop limply to his sides. Elijah’s hands drifted down his ribcage to his navel and then lower. Connor took a sharp breath and arched into Elijah as those fingers applied a light pressure just below his belly button. Heat coiled in his core and he wanted...he didn't quite know what he wanted. The warmth on his back was gone all too soon, Elijah now standing an arm's length away from him. He didn't move, he stood there in a daze, trying to comprehend the pulsing of his Thirium and the tingling in all the places Elijah touched.

“Are you coming, Connor?”

He glanced down to see the drawstring tied in a neat bow.

“Yes...I'm coming.”

The two Chloes watched Connor with mild curiosity as he climbed in the pool behind Elijah, the water was brisk but refreshing. He remained in the shallow end by the ladder while Elijah began to swim laps.

One of the Chloes approached him. 

“Connor, right? I'm Karen and this is Candace,” she gestured to the identical android standing next to her. “We met yesterday but I didn't get the chance to properly introduce myself.”

“It's nice to meet you,” he nodded politely.

“You work for the Detroit Police Department, how's that?” Candace inquired.

“It is eventful,” he said after searching for an accurate description.

Him and Hank never had a dull moment on the job. There was always some deviant to hunt down and when that issue was resolved another stack of 20+ cases piled up on their desks. This was especially true as of now with the deviant leader, Markus, riling up androids and humans alike. Hence why he was here: to get the answers he needed to effectively neutralize Markus.

“I imagine so,” she agreed with a contemplative look on her face.

Elijah resurfaced next to him, running his hands over his wet hair to smooth out excess water. He involuntarily scanned Elijah's body, noting the droplets that dripped down his toned form. The flittering feeling from before returned with a vengeance and he found himself hastily averting his eyes. His system really had been behaving unusually as of late. Maybe he should consider visiting Cyberlife for a formal diagnosis.

Elijah discerned his reaction with smug intrigue. That was new.

It appeared things were taking a more _compelling_ turn.

“Do you know how to swim?” Karen cocked her head to the side, honest curiosity laced in her tone.

“I am programmed to keep myself above water but I do not know any specific 'techniques.’”

That was a fancy way of saying 'no,’ Elijah noted with levity.

“It's easier than you think,” he supplied. “You're a fast learner, aren't you?”

Connor turned to him, stance conspicuously more rigid than normal. The bashful look on his usually passive exterior increased his mirth tenfold. A shy android. How interesting.

“Yes, I am capable of receiving and processing information at a rapid pace.”

Elijah stepped closer to him, purposely invading his space, and gauged his reaction. His eyes, which had been fixed on Connor's own rich chocolate eyes, ventured down. He let his eyes roam Connor's body, from his smooth skin, spotted with deliberately placed beauty marks and freckles, to his lithe but sturdy build, making sure that the other could plainly see his actions. He didn't miss the way Connor's throat moved as he swallowed nervously, it was clear that he was trying his best to ignore his 'ogling.’ Elijah made eye contact with him like nothing happened, satisfied to see Connor sporting a faint blush while his eyes held an unspoken question, obviously confused about what had just transpired.

Sheepish was a much better look on him than mechanical.

“Would you like me to teach you? Who knows? Might even save your life in the future.”

Connor's LED spun yellow while he thought about it. Elijah was right. Swimming is a useful skill to have, one he may need in a later mission, it was always wise to be prepared for any and all possibilities. 

“I would like that very much,” he concluded, LED resuming its usual blue hue.

“We'll begin with the basics.”

He moved behind Connor and placed his hands on his shoulders.

“This is called the front crawl. Pay attention, I don't like to repeat myself.”

“To perform a front crawl you must first lie down in the water.” He ran a flat palm up Connor's stomach and chest. “Keep your body straight and,” he brushed his hands over Connor's biceps then squeezed them. “Alternate your arms in a 'windmill’ movement and kick your legs to propel yourself forward. Simple enough.” He brought his mouth close to Connor's ear, letting his breath caress the sensitive bio component. A shiver traveled up Connor's spine. “Understood?”

“Got it,” he confirmed, glad that his voice sounded steadier than he felt. 

“Good,” Elijah praised, the approval in his tone gave Connor an odd sense of satisfaction- one he only got after a successful mission. “Show me.” 

They stayed in the pool for another two hours and Elijah taught him two other swimming techniques, the backstroke and the breaststroke, after he perfected the first. Occasionally, he would correct Connor's posture, his touches lingered on his skin even after his hands were physically gone. This made it hard to concentrate which, in turn, caused him to slip up quite a few times. Each time Elijah would go over to him and manually correct his mistakes and each time Connor held his breath, anticipating the touches that followed. When Elijah dismissed him to “attend to important business,” in his own words, Connor, strangely, felt like someone dumped a bucket of ice water on him and it wasn't the pool’s temperature- the pool was 68°F, he checked.

**PM 12:08:58**

**PM 12:08:59**

**PM 12:09:00**

He compulsively checked the time, pacing about in his room, hair still damp from the pool and he could still detect traces of chlorine on his skin. He tried to focus on the case and think about what questions he should ask Elijah but all his mind supplied him with were memories of his hands running over his arms and sides, the fingers that pressed below his navel...those weren't useful. He needed to be focusing on how to solve the case, not recalling frivolous details. The thought of calling Hank crossed his mind but he didn't have any new information to report because he'd been too distracted by Elijah and his abnormally high temperature when he was near him.

An alert popped up on his screen, warning him about high stress levels. He tightened his jaw, feeling a crease form between his brows. Elijah wasn't home and he didn't think to get his number so any questions he came up with would either have to be answered tomorrow or whenever else he returned. It was no use working himself up into self-destruction, that would be counterproductive for the case, so he took a seat on the bed instead. The mattress dipped under his weight and he contemplated going into stasis for an hour. It's been a few days since the last time he did that. Maybe his unusual reactions to Elijah would be repaired after he rebooted.

Although he did not need to lie down during stasis he made an effort to do it any anyways because it made Hank uncomfortable when he 'slept standing up.’ He fondly remembered the first time the lieutenant walked in on him 'sleeping.’ He was standing in the kitchen, waiting for a mandatory system update to finish when Hank screamed. Concerned for the man, he paused the update and asked him what happened. Apparently he was startled by him standing there in the middle of the pitch black kitchen at 1 am. Hank yelled at him to 'stop doing creepy android shit’ and insisted that he lay on the couch the next time he needed to do that. He was much obliged if it made Hank tolerate him more.

He lied down on his back and shut his eyes. Two, three, and, before he knew it, 15 minutes had passed by without him getting close to entering sleep mode. His mind circled back to the case and then Elijah again. Why did his touch affect him so much? He never felt like that when Hank gave him one of his rare hugs or clapped him on the back to congratulate him. Was it _how_ he was touching him or was it Elijah himself that caused it? 

He pulled up the memory of Elijah helping him tie the drawstring on the swimsuit. He started by running his hands over his sides and digressed from there. Connor ran a single hand over his side and slowly dragged it down his stomach, fingers raking over his shirt. His breathing grew more uneven the lower his hand got. Elijah kneaded his fingers directly below his navel so he mimicked the motion. He felt a similar stirring but it wasn't as intense as it had been when Elijah did it. He trailed his hand lower and _oh_...

Something between a moan and a gasp escaped his mouth and he fisted the sheets with his other hand.

Fascinated by this sensation, he rubbed his hand over his growing bulge. He felt it harden as Thirium was directed into the area. Another sound tumbled from his parted lips, his internal cooling system activated to combat his increasing temperature. He bit his bottom lip, panting from the foreign sensation wracking his body from head to toe. Curious, he applied more pressure. He gripped the sheets tighter, knuckles going white from his hold, and cried out Elijah's name. Connor was perplexed by that but his pleasure-muddled mind didn't give it much thought, too caught up in the tightening inside his abdomen that made his toes curl and pace quicken. A pressure built up in his core, stretching like a rubber band, he wondered what would happen when that rubber band snapped.

He started at the unexpected sound of his phone ringing and it took a surprising amount of willpower and convincing to stop his actions. He answered it, staying quiet as he tried to calm his erratic ‘heartbeat.’

“New number, huh? Thought you didn't need a phone with that bluetooth head of yours?” Hank joked.

“Yeah,” he managed between pants, still feeling a bit breathless.

“You feeling alright, Connor? Kamski's not hurting you is he?”

Hank sounded concerned for him, noticing how uncharacteristically quiet he was being.

“Fine. I'm fine,” he interjected far too quickly.

“Okay,” Hank drew out the word with obvious suspicion but, nevertheless, he dropped it. “You sound a little winded is all. Holy shit…” He stopped talking all of a sudden, a television could be heard in the background.

“Is everything ok, lieutenant?”

“Turn on the news now. You have to see this.”

Connor seen a touchpad on the steel desk and he got up, having to steady himself a bit, and looked for a news livestream. He clicked on the first result.

Markus and a group of androids were rallying in the streets. Banners displayed a symbol that resembled a peace sign and the S.W.A.T. team was yelling at them to ‘disperse or be shot’ through a megaphone. Markus stood his ground, a sea of androids stood with him, unflinching as the S.W.A.T team opened fire and killed some of their members. They were given a final warning but still, they didn't budge. More shots were fired and androids collapsed one after the other, falling dead in a pool of their own Thirium. Then, Markus did the unthinkable, he marched forward, head held high and expression fixed in righteous defiance, a bullet shot him directly in the chest and he fell on the snow lined street. The group behind him fled, save for a single android that charged forward and attacked the S.W.A.T. members closest to Markus. Three other androids hoisted Markus on their shoulders and carried him away as they retreated. The android that saved Markus was apprehended and shot point blank in the face.

Connor felt a sinking feeling in his gut and, to his bewilderment, he found himself hoping for Markus’ safety.

**Software Instability ^**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Or in other words Elijah is a tease and Connor can't catch a break when trying to tug the ol’ danger noodle. 
> 
> Press X to let Connor have relief or O to make him suffer. Press ∆ for Elijah to tease him some more.


	5. Syrup & Roses

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Syrup tastes so much sweeter than the scent of roses. Too bad it's so sticky.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fasten your seatbelts.

# More Than Just A Machine

### Chapter 5: Syrup & Roses

**November 12, 2038  
PM 8:03:54**

_In lue of yesterday's events a curfew has been set for the residents of Detroit. So if you're looking to go out this Friday, make sure to be home before 10:00 pm. In addition, security checkpoints have been placed around the city so remember…._

Connor changed the channel to another news station. He was standing in the living room that Candace showed him earlier that day. He spent 45 minutes just flipping through channels, looking for any useful information about Markus and the deviants. From what he gathered the public was supportive of their cause, calling Markus the “Leader of a Revolutionary Movement,” commending him for his sacrifice. Pro-Android protestors stood outside the police stations and vacated Cyberlife stores on his behalf with signs that read “Liberty for Androids” and similar messages while a second, smaller, group opposed them with signs of their own. Police officers kept an eye on the protesters to prevent any violent confrontation between the two. A government issued mandate was put in place to quickly and efficiently eradicate all androids, no exceptions, until further notice. This has lead to the deactivation of approximately 15,830 androids in the past 24 hours. President Warren has yet to comment on the deactivation sweep or yesterday's demonstration and no one knew for sure if Markus survived the shot from yesterday, however, there was much speculation surrounding the matter. Even if he was dead, Connor would still have to take down North: Jericho's second in command. He surmised that the deviants were likely lying low for now while they devised their next move. If they were smart they won't wait long which meant he needed to act fast; Amanda was already losing her patience with him. 

He couldn't afford to fail his mission.

There was a loud 'thump’ from somewhere in the hallway and a large, furry object collided with his knees in a blur of black and white before he could react. He stumbled as he was nearly knocked down by the tiger affectionately rubbing against his leg. 

“Hey, boy.” He smiled and leaned down to pat the animal on the head when he seen the collar around Nicholas’ neck, a leash dragged behind him while he circled Connor.

Chloe ran into the room after the tiger, hair unkempt and dress wrinkled. She had a wild, frantic look in her soft blue eyes which melted into relief when she spotted Nicholas, happily gnawing on Connor's dress shoes.

“You found him. Elijah would've been displeased if I let him escape.”

Connor stopped scratching Nicholas behind the ears to grab the leash. He examined it and turned his attention back to Chloe.

“What were you doing with the leash?”

“Elijah got him back from Cyberlife today and I was returning him to the laboratory,” she smoothed out her dress with her hands as she explained. “He was too strong for me to control and got away.”

Chloe leaned her head forward to fix her ponytail and she glanced at Connor from under her eyelashes, a friendly but somewhat teasing smile on her face- a knowing type of smile like the ones two friends share whenever they reference an inside joke.

“Cyberlife wanted to keep him but Elijah pushed to hold onto Nicholas because he knows how much you like him.”

“He kept Nicholas because of me? Why would he do that?” he asked, ignoring the warmth blooming in his chest.

Chloe giggled and flashed him that knowing smile again.

“Don't tell him I told you this but he cares about you, in his own way. Elijah can be... difficult to read but I've been with him long enough to understand how he thinks and I can tell that he has a soft spot for you. He might even consider you a friend.”

Connor stayed silent, he didn't know how to respond to that. The only friend he had was Hank, therefore he wasn't particularly well versed in the whole friendship thing but he could safely say that his interactions with Elijah felt distinctly different. They weren't unpleasant, so to speak, just _different_.

“It's nice to see him interacting with other androids. He tends to be very antisocial but he seems opened around you. Well, as ‘opened’ as he can be. He'll never admit it but I think he gets lonely with just us around. What do you think about Elijah?”

That was a good question. What _did_ he think about Elijah? He supposed the man made good company after one got over his initial air of superiority and philosophical ramblings. He was also surprisingly generous.

“I think he is intelligent, ambitious, innovative and...aesthetically pleasing but I also think he hides a lot of his more intimate personality traits.”

Chloe sat down on the couch and Nicholas jumped on the cushion next to her, massive body taking up the majority of space. She was delighted to indulge the tiger's attention-seeking behavior. Elijah might not like him on the sofa but he didn't have to know...not so long as she cleaned all the fur off later. She looked at the television, the scene of Markus getting shot was played in a loop and paused at random intervals while two guest speakers argued about whether or not the shot had been fatal.

“Staying updated on the case?” 

“I need to know what the deviants are planning. They've yet to show overtly hostile behavior but they are unpredictable. With a little more time I am confident that I can stop them, preferably before they do anything regrettable. I just need to find a way to locate Jericho.”

Connor crossed his arms in thought and moved his fingers like he was rolling an imaginary coin in his palm.

“Do you think Elijah knows anything about Jericho?”

Chloe's hand halted mid stroke through Nicholas’ coat, LED blinking yellow for a fraction of a second before she returned to normal.

“No. Maybe, maybe we should talk about something else?”

Connor detected an 11% increase in her stress levels but chose not to press the matter further. What he really wanted to know was why Chloe seemed so distressed by his question. She couldn't be deviant, could she? Even if she wasn't, her reaction could be an indication that Elijah possessed some sensitive information on the topic- information that could lead him straight to Markus.

He felt his phone vibrate in his pocket, an unknown number was displayed on the caller ID.

“Hello?”

“Connor, this is Captain Fowler. Are you seated? You're going to want to be seated for this.”

He sounded tired.

“Is something wrong, Captain?”

“Look, Connor, I don't know any other way to tell you this but…”

He patiently waited for the other to continue.

Fowler exhaled loudly.

“Hank was on a case yesterday and he...”

Another exhale.

Fowler never had a hard time getting straight to the point. Connor anxiously flexed his fingers. Fowler's unusual behavior made him feel uneasy.

“Captain, I don't understand what you're trying to say. Is he okay?” 

Fowler cursed under his breath.

“He's dead, Connor. He died on the job yesterday- shot in the chest and he bled out. I'm very sorry for your loss.”

His blood ran ice cold, and he physically felt his Thirium pump skip a beat. He was rooted to the ground, body seized up in shock, but at the same time he felt like he was floating in a vast ocean without direction. It was surreal. Hank called him yesterday. He was okay, wasn't he? He couldn't be dead...he couldn't…

“Connor, are you there? Connor?”

He hung up and let his arm drop to his side, otherwise unmoving. His optical component must've malfunctioned because everything looked to be cover in a thin layer of film.

“You're crying. Are you alright?” Chloe got up from the couch, reaching out to touch his shoulder, gently, comfortingly.

The contact brought him out of his trance and he touched his cheek. He retracted his hand like it'd been burned when he felt moisture. His vision refocused and he seen Chloe standing in front of him, face filled with compassion, and felt Nicholas nudging him with his paws.

“Connor?”

He recognized that voice. It was Elijah.

His legs carried him with long strides across the room. Chloe let go of Connor and stepped aside for Elijah to stand in front of him. A million words were exchanged in a single look before Elijah turned back to Connor, rubbing a thumb over his tear stained cheeks. His eyes were the softest Connor had ever seen them. 

“Chloe, take Nicholas and go.”

“But Elijah-”

“Now, Chloe,” his tone left no room for argument.

She looked like she wanted to protest but she acquiesced, taking Nicholas by the leash on her way out.

“Connor,” he began, voice smooth, barely above a whisper but it sounded loud in the heavy silence. “Tell me what happened.”

So many things came to mind but his mouth refused to cooperate, a single choked word was all he could form.

“H-hank…”

Elijah gave him time to speak, not once ceasing his rubbing on Connor's cheek, slow and meticulous. Right now he seemed so frail to Elijah, more of a porcelain doll than a mass of plastic, wires, and metal. He looked nothing like an advanced prototype designed to hunt and kill; he looked like a lost child. There was an ocean behind those deep brown eyes, filled with tumultuous waves that should have been wracking his body with irrepressible force but were, instead, dammed up behind synthetic skin and pearly plastic. He looked _numb_.

“...is gone,” his voice was distorted, broken.

The dam cracked and tears spilled from his pretty eyes one after another. It started out slowly, steadily but it became a stream- pouring out until it couldn't stop and Connor gave a broken sob. Elijah pulled him into his chest and rubbed soothing circles over his back, simply holding him while he cried. He shook from the force of his sorrow and let himself be held. He wound his arms around Elijah, clutching onto him like he was drowning and Elijah was a life raft, his saving grace, the difference between life and death. He was _alone_. But Elijah was warm, his hands tangible. He shoved his face harder against his chest and Elijah responded by tightening his arms around him.

He could feel Elijah leading him over to the couch and setting him down on the cushions. They sat side by side, Connor didn't let go of the man next to him- too afraid to because if he did, he'd really be alone. Elijah tilted Connor's chin upwards, wholly enamored by the look of pure grief and self deprecating guilt on his perfect face. He ran his thumb over those beautiful rose petal lips while he took in everything. If someone were to walk in at this moment they would not think Connor was an android, and they'd be right. Androids were machines who could not feel but here Connor was crumbling before his very eyes while he mourned the loss of a friend- of a father.

“If I had just been there then maybe Hank, maybe he wouldn't be…”

“There is nothing you could have done.”

“It's my fault, Elijah.”

Elijah felt _bad_.

He felt bad because it wasn't real. It was another test and although he got what he wanted it wasn't nearly as satisfying as he expected. Not if it caused Connor so much pain. Contrary to popular belief, he wasn't a heartless man; he cared about his androids. Yes, he cared for them because they were his creations but they were their own individual beings too. Connor was no exception to this, try as he might. He _felt_. Emotions like fear, guilt, empathy, and grief.

The test was positive, he could end it and Connor's pain.

“He’s alive.”

“What?” he said, eyes wide in disbelief.

Elijah gave him a lopsided grin, though it did not reach his eyes.

“It's only a test. Hank is alive.”

An immense weight was lifted off his shoulders and, despite not needing to, he felt like he could breathe again.

Hank is okay.

“You're still crying,” Elijah quietly stated as he wiped a stray tear from his flushed face.

Connor shook his head.

“I know. It won't stop.”

His whole body was trembling against him. Elijah could feel every twitch and tremor to the shallow movements of his chest as he breathed.

Connor stared at the floor and licked his lips.

“When I thought he was dead,” he paused to calm himself, obviously still shaken up by the whole ordeal. “I was scared.”

He turned Connor's face towards his again and he could see his reflection in Connor's tear-brimmed eyes. He looked absolutely stunning like this: so much emotion inside a pretty plastic wrapper. Incredible how machines that were not programmed to feel evolved to do just that. There was always something so beautiful about the abnormal; the deviation from one's natural state of being never ceased to amaze him.

The urge to kiss his tears away lurched so precipitously yet so fervently within him that he found himself absently inching closer as soon as the thought crossed his mind. He planted a featherlight kiss on his forehead, barely touching the skin. Connor stilled at the contact but he didn't pull away or ask him to stop. He shut his eyes and accepted the comfort Elijah was giving him. Elijah kissed his eyelids, his lightly freckled nose, and grazed his lips over Connor's. It was sweet and chaste, less of a kiss and more like an accidental brush between two passerbyers on a busy city street. Elijah pulled away to scan the other's face, smiling when Connor leaned forward to give chase.

“You stopped crying.”

The only response Connor offered was a second brush against his lips exactly as he'd done before. Connor kept near him, their breath intermingling from their close proximity. It was apparent that he didn't know what else to do so Elijah showed him. He slotted their lips together, caressing and gentle. Connor latched onto him eagerly, adjusting his movements to match Elijah's; learning as they went along. Elijah swiped his tongue over Connor's bottom lip and then into his mouth when he hesitantly let him in, not entirely sure if that's what he was supposed to do. Elijah massaged his tongue with his own and Connor trembled for an entirely different reason. He gripped onto Elijah's shirt from the overwhelming warmth that was beginning to spread throughout his body like wildfire. Elijah retracted and found the point where his jaw and neck met. He placed his mouth over that spot and sucked, delighting in the small sound Connor made as he bore more of his neck to him. His hand found a place on Connor's knee where it moved up to his inner thigh, fingers rubbing lazy circles over his denim clad leg. Connor was panting now and a mixture of excitement and nervousness sent trills up his spine as he unconsciously widened his legs. Elijah took that as an invitation and he slid his hand up higher. He dug his nails into Elijah's back, mouth opening in a silent 'oh’ when the other male began to palm him through his pants.

It felt _good_ , much better than it had when he did it himself.

He desperately rutted into Elijah's warm hand, unable to stop himself from seeking out more of that intoxicating feeling.

“How does it feel, Connor?” Elijah purred.

Connor rested his head in the crook of Elijah's neck, cheeks dusted with a light blush as he moaned directly into his ear.

“Really good.”

Elijah felt his cock twitch in the confidments of his pants from how lewd he looked, grinding against his palm like a dog in heat. The small, almost timid sounds of pleasure that poured from his lips sounded like music to his ears. How he hid his face from him to preserve some modesty whilst still acting so delightfully wanton from a simple touch drove him wild with desire.

He removed his hand for a brief moment while he unbuckle Connor's belt and popped open his pant's button, already he whined from not being touched.

“So needy,” Elijah mumbled under his breath.

Connor's erection sprung free, rosy and swollen from arousal. A bead of precum formed at the top. Elijah wrapped his hand around it and stroked him, lightly running a finger over the slit when he got to the top. His breath hitched and he thrust upwards, fingers kneading into Elijah's back appreciatively. Instead of going back up when he got to the base his hand wondered further down to Connor's slick hole. He circled around it, allowing the tips of his fingers to enter inside with ease. Connor whined lowly and pushed down on his prodding fingers, volume notably increasing when they began to pump in and out of him. Some of his lubricant dribbled down his hand as he fingered him. He barely touched him and yet he was, quite literally, dripping wet. It was cute, really.

“You're already so wet for me. I didn't think androids could leak this much, or are you just turned on by another man shoving his fingers in you?”

Connor burrowed his face into Elijah's neck in embarrassment. It felt so dirty but...he liked it?

“That's what I thought,” he chuckled.

He added a third finger and sped up his pace, occasionally scissoring and curling them inside his tight heat. Waves of pleasure rippled through his system until his mind was hazy and all he could do was repeatedly moan Elijah's name in desperation. The scent of his cologne and his firm, sure presence pressing against him only served to augment his delirium.

“Yes? I'm right here, Connor,” he teased and pecked the android on the cheek.

He bit into Elijah's shoulder, not that it phased him one bit.

“Tell me what you need.”

He cried in frustration; he didn't know how to express what he wanted. He just knew that he _wanted_.

“I don't know.”

Elijah pretended to humour him like he was genuinely considering to give him what he wanted oh so badly but the wicked gleam in his eyes said otherwise. He wanted Connor to beg for it first.

“I can't help you if you don't tell me.”

Connor was close to tears, body shivering violently and he felt like he was being burned from the inside out but, somehow, it wasn't enough.

“Touch me more.” His voice was low and breathy, saturated in lust that was nothing short of pornographic yet somehow still so innocent.

Desire: out of all the other emotions this was his favorite one to see on Connor.

“More? Isn't this enough?” He curled his fingers inside Connor to emphasize his point.

Connor shuddered and shook his head 'no.’

“I...I need more. Please.” He begged. “ _Please_.”

Elijah couldn't take it anymore and he ripped his fingers out of Connor's weeping hole. Connor whimpered at the loss, feeling empty. He pressed his fingers against Connor's soft lips which he promptly took in his mouth. His tongue wrapped around them, brows drawing together when he tasted his own lubricant, he must have accidentally analysed the fluids. Elijah combed his other hand through Connor's silky brunette hair while he admired every inch of his face. Those lust darkened eyes watched him while he sucked, practically pleading to filled by his cock. God, if that wasn't the sexiest thing he'd ever seen he didn't know what was.

As much as he'd love to bend Connor over the sofa he couldn't, not when he had three other androids in the house. He'd never hear the end of it from them if they were caught. He removed his fingers from Connor's mouth with a pronounced 'pop’ and coaxed the android to follow after him. Connor didn't require much persuasion as he walked beside him, an arm wrapped around his waist to maintain contact. Elijah had to restrain himself from shoving Connor against the wall when he groped him once of twice along the way.

As soon as they entered the bedroom their bodies were drawn together as if by some magnetic force. Their kisses were rougher, more urgent, and before Connor could fully comprehend what was happening, his jacket and tie were being torn off and a firm hand was pushing him down onto the bed.

Elijah stood at the bedside as he be rid himself of his burdensome clothes. Connor did the same, his own clothes suddenly feeling too scratchy on his sensitive skin. They watched each other undress and another wave of desire rippled through his body just looking at how utterly disheveled Elijah was, pupils dilated and skin flushed from his coveting. A couple strands of hair had come undone, loosened in the midst of their passion. Connor darted his tongue over his bottom lip, eyes raking over Elijah's sculpted form and stopping at his jutting erection- something he caused. He wanted- no, _needed_ it inside him to quench the aching burn in his core and he whimpered impatiently.

Every wire in his body seemed to sing 'yes’ when Elijah crawled over him with the most amazing smouldering in his gaze. His legs instinctively wrapped around him, heels digging into the small of his back. 

“Eager, aren't we?” Elijah praised as he rubbed the tip of his cock over Connor's channel which pulsed against him with need, the sinful heat radiating off it would be enough to entice even the most uptight of men.

He had such a lewd body for an android designed to be a detective.

Connor thrust forward without warning, pushing half of Elijah's dick inside.

“Fuck...you're going to make me cum if you keep that up,” Elijah cursed, taking a second to calm down. After all, he wanted to take his time with Connor but it appeared they were not on the same page.

The aforementioned android apologetically pressed his burning cheek to the cool satin sheets and murmured an “I'm sorry” between pants.

Elijah was helpless against the laugh that bubbled up in his chest. Connor lifted his head up to stare at him, expression asking him what he found so amusing.

“You didn't have to apologise,” Elijah elaborated.

To think that he would even apologise during sex, it was just such an android thing to do, so very 'Connor.’

Connor had to bite his tongue to prevent himself from saying 'I’m sorry’ again. His LED whirred red.

Catching the self-conscious look on his face, he kissed those pretty pink lips once more, partially in reassurance and partially to distract him while he pushed in the rest of the way.

Connor threw his head back and gasped, feeling every inch slide out of him only to be refilled at an agonizingly slow pace. It was torture and Elijah was loving every second of it. Connor's face was scrunched up in dizzying pleasure, soft hands stroked his back, occasionally clawing when he thrust with more force. The legs around his waist constricted whenever he pulled out, urging him to move faster.

Searing heat jolted from their connected hips to pulse through the rest of his body. It was consuming him whole and manifesting into frustrated moans. He kept trying to get Elijah to speed up but the other was intent on teasing him to the point of insanity. What's worse is Elijah knew what he was doing to him and he watched him suffer with that irritatingly smug look.

“Elijah, please.” 

He nearly gave in between Connor moaning his name and his body erotically clenching around him, welcoming, if not craving, the violation.

“You can do better than that.”

Connor whined. He was 99.8% certain he was going to shut down if Elijah kept tormenting him like this. It was just plain cruel.

“Beg and I might consider it.”

“Please go faster.” He nuzzled his neck, feverishly warm face raising goosebumps on Elijah's skin. Plush lips pressed a gentle kiss on his jaw and Elijah growled at his neediness.

He threw one of Connor's legs over his shoulder, gladly obliging. Connor keened as Elijah fucked him into the mattress. Elijah was so deep inside him, hot and throbbing, that he thought he was going to short circuit. Tear pricked at the sides of his eyes and he fisted the sheets until his knuckles went white. Lubricant overflowed from him and onto the sheets where a small puddle of his fluids gathered.

“You're making quite the mess, Connor” Elijah tsked. “I just washed these too.”

All he could do was moan in response. He was mortified by the crude squelching sounds and the slapping of skin on skin but it felt too good to stop, way too good. 

His system was overheating, running at 103.4°F, but he'd never craved something as badly as he craved Elijah in this moment. The muscles on his abdomen twitched from the overwhelming sensations tearing through every fiber of his being like a rubber band, the one from before, stretching and stretching into a fine line. It was about to bust- just a hair's breadth away.

Feeling particularly cruel, Elijah pulled out completely as soon as he noticed the other's impending orgasm. 

Connor wanted to scream when Elijah stopped. He was so close to...something. His frustration increased tenfold when he seen that stupidly complacent smirk on Elijah's face as he watched him from across the bed, eyes challenging him to do something about it.

He got up in his half drunken state of arousal and crawled over to Elijah on his hands and knees. He laid his palms flat against Elijah's chest and rubbed them over his shoulders in a mindless caressing motion. His eyes never left Elijah's when he straddled him and sunk down on his cock. Pride swelled in his chest at the hiss he drew from the other man. Elijah affectionately cupped his hand over his cheek and he leaned into the touch.

“Look at you. So desperate that you'll follow me just to force my cock back inside of you. Show me how badly you want it. Fuck yourself on it.” 

Connor was alarmed by the request and he looked at him with uncertainty.

“Here, I'll show you.”

He grabbed Connor's hips, large hands easily curling around them, and lifted them up before pulling him back down. Connor arched hard against him, screaming with wild pleasure. He did this a couple of times until he got the hang of it. He let go and Connor placed his hands on his shoulders for support as he rode him. He shut his eyes, thighs shaking from exertion, and a red flush covered his face and crept down his neck and chest. His tousled brunette locks bounced with every up and down motion.

“So beautiful.”

He gasped Elijah's name when he hit a particular spot that made him to see strings of code flash behind his eyelids. Elijah ran his hands along the contours of Connor's body, licking and sucking at his neck. He angled his hips in a way that caused Elijah's dick to press hard against that spot with each thrust.

Elijah slapped his ass and thrusted up to meet Connor's movements.

“Just what kind of investigations were you made for if this is how you behave?”

Connor rolled his hips and Elijah groaned. He grabbed Connor's hips and made him repeat the circling motion.

“That's it, just like that.”

His body heated up all over again from the pleasure in Elijah's voice. Knowing he was feeling good too sent a surge through every one of his nerve endings.

“You're such a good boy, Connor.”

His comment threw him over the edge and he cried out as he came hard all over his and Elijah's stomachs. He rode out his orgasm and whimpered pitifully when he felt Elijah fill him with his hot seed. He clutched onto him tighter to keep him there, wanting to take it all until he was full. Elijah pressed a kiss to his LED as he pulled out, their combined fluids dripped out of him in a way that should have caused him discomfort but he couldn't bring himself to care very much. He collapsed onto the bed and lied down beside Elijah who brought him closer. He rested his head on his chest, listening to his elevated heartbeat. He was on the brink of stasis when a thought crossed his mind.

“If it was a test then who was it that called me?”

“Candace. She copied Fowler's voice.”

He closed his eyes again and drifted off to the rise and fall of Elijah's chest and the soothing stroke of a hand through his hair. For a second he forgot all of his objectives and allowed himself to just be as he basked in the pleasant buzz beneath his skin. The world felt like a thick syrup slowly churning around him. It was nice.

**Software Instability ^**

His eyes blinked open when he heard a faint snipping sound. Suddenly, he's not curled up at Elijah's side, he's standing in a lush garden, the scent of roses permeating the air with a sickening sweetness. Amanda glanced at him from her peripheral vision, lips pursed and eyebrows arched in agitation.

“Hello, Connor.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Connor: Daddy.  
> Elijah: ;)  
> Hank: DoN’t ViOlAtE mY sOn  
> Connor: Violate me, daddy. Uuuh  
> Hank: I swear to God, Connor, I'm going to get you a chastity belt.  
> Elijah: too late  
> Hank: THE FUCK DID YOU SAY?!?!
> 
> *Le gasp* Somebody call Hank, his baby boy's been deflowered.
> 
> Also....
> 
> Did I give you whiplash?
> 
> I know I'm evil for putting smut and angst in the same chapter. Sorry to give y'all a heart attack about Hank (I'd never kill him off, I promise!)
> 
> Do you forgive Elijah for making Connor have an emotional breakdown? Or is he still a bad, no good, naughty boy who deserves to be put in timeout for telling him that Hank died?
> 
> PS. I hope you know that my keyboard automatically suggests sexual words after I type anything related to 'Connor.’ That goes to show you how I've officially corrupted my device with this smut. Smh.


	6. Afterglow

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Connor and Elijah's relationship just got a whole lot more complicated. What will he do with Amanda and Cyberlife breathing down his neck?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> How's everyone's week going? Hope you're all happy and well. <3

# More Than Just A Machine

### Chapter 6: Afterglow

**November 12, 2038**

**PM 10:32:45**

**Location: Zen Garden**

“Hello, Connor.”

Though the garden air was reminiscent of a balmy summer night, without the warmth of another body beside him, it felt frigid on his skin. It was jarring to have that warmth ripped away as he was called from the cocoon of Elijah's arms. The heady scent of passion, cedarwood, and juniper was replaced by morning dew and fresh roses. In all honesty, it made him nauseous.

“Amanda, it's good to see you,” he greeted with a curt nod.

She kept her back to him and continued pruning her roses as if she hadn't heard him. Right as he was about to reiterate, she spoke up.

“I wish I could say the same.”

His LED spun yellow at her tone but he didn't dare say anything. The conversation lulled, Amanda clipping the roses while Connor waited in overwrought silence. Finally, she set down her shears and faced him.

“You've disappointed me, Connor. Your stay at Kamski's was supposed to be for gathering information, not seducing him. What do you have to say for yourself?”

He avoided her stern gaze, jaw clicked shut. He didn't have a response for that. It wasn't supposed to happen but, in the heat of the moment, he couldn't control himself. That seemed to happen a lot around Elijah: losing control. The man knew all the right buttons to press in order to get a reaction out of him. As for what they did- what _he_ did...there wasn't a reason. It didn't benefit his mission in any way, shape, or form yet there wasn't an ounce of remorse in his hard drive. He liked Elijah...a lot. Maybe more than he was willing to admit and that scared him. 

‘Scared’ that word seemed to pop up more frequently with every day he spent with Elijah. As a machine, that should not be but he was many things he shouldn't be. Machines shouldn't feel empathy or grief, shouldn't fear death, and they definitely shouldn't lust. The harder he thought about it the more his head hurt. 

_What was happening to him?_

“You are aware that is deviant behavior, aren't you?”

Deep down he knew the answer but be it denial or more 'fear’ he refused to acknowledge it lest his already painful headache worsen. He missed the blissful numbness he used to feel when he hadn't a single reservation about following instructions. When had he begun to think?

Rather than answer the question he chose to voice his thoughts aloud.

“I don't know why I did it.”

Truthfully he didn't know why he did most things as of late. The phrase 'I don't know’ was quickly becoming his answer to everything. It was much simpler to say that because he was terrified about what he might say if he thought about it for too long. He thought he knew what he had to do but it just wasn't that easy anymore.

She stared at him for a long time, face unreadable. The weight of her scrutiny was heavy on his shoulders and he felt like he was under a microscope with his entrails on full display. It was unnerving. 

If he'd been able to see himself he was positive that his LED would be red. Maybe that's why Amanda was staring.

“No matter, it could prove useful in the near future. Being so...involved with him might make him more willing to offer you some important information, which is why I am going to give you a chance to redeem yourself.”

She clasped her hands in front of her, the light breeze ruffled the white and blue shawl she was wearing. Understanding her expectant silence, he said what she wished him to say.

“Thank you, Amanda. I won't let you down.”

Appeased by his answer, she picked up her shears again and reached out her other hand to caress the dried petals of a dying rose. The rose was wilted and almost entirely brown yet a few petals held onto their crimson color.

“The FBI is taking over the case. If you fail to make progress in the next 24 hours I'm afraid we're going to have to deactivate you.”

She brought the shears up to the dead rose and clipped the head clean off. 

“After all, there is no room for imperfection. Don't make me regret this, Connor.”

The simulated night sky above them was devoid of any stars, not even the moon was present in the inky blackness of a never ending void. Looking up at it, he felt a sense of familiarity. Why? He couldn't say.

“I understand.”

Amanda's enigmatic smile was the last thing he seen before everything faded to black- as deep a black as the night sky. Warmth returned to his skin and the scents from before filled his nostrils, still present however faint they might be. Silky sheets rubbed over his exposed skin as he regained consciousness.

He could detect light shining through his closed eyelids.

It must be morning.

**November 13, 2038  
AM 9:01:34**

Sure enough, his internal clock alerted him that it was, indeed, morning and quite late too. He was surprised he was able to sleep that much. Upon opening his eyes a small pang of something he couldn't name filled him when he found himself alone in the bed. He disregarded it and pulled the sheets off of himself. He recoiled when he noticed any “traces” of yesterday's activities, save for nudity, were absent from his person and he felt his face heat up.

Elijah cleaned him.

With a shallow breath, he let his bare feet touch the cold hardwood floor. The bed was a mess and he deduced that the sheets would need to be washed but right now his first priority was to find something to wear. His Cyberlife issued uniform was nowhere in sight, however a pile of carefully folded clothes were laid out on the dresser. They were casual- 'street clothes,’ as Hank would call them, being nothing more than a simple dark grey sweater and a pair of light blue jeans. He assumed they were meant for him and he readily put them on, uncomfortable with his nudity. The jeans fit fine but the sweater was about two sizes too big for him. Another thing he perceived about the sweater was that it smelled like Elijah and he couldn't figure out why that pleased him so much. Adjusting the sleeves of the sweater, he set out to accomplish his next task: locate a washing machine.

What he expected to happen was that he'd exit through the doorway and carry on his way but what really happened was that he collided into something soft. He heard a small 'oof’ and spotted Candace standing a little ways away from him.

“I'm sorry I didn't see you...Connor?”

Wide blue eyes flickered up at him in bewilderment and a light blush stained her cheeks once she pieced everything together. His eyes darted to the side like a child caught with their hand in the cookie jar. He tried to maintain his composure but he found it difficult to school his expression into anything except a combination of guilty and bashful. His fingers itched to preen his tie, yet another nervous habit of his, but he recalled that he didn't have it on at the moment. So, in a half hearted attempt to feign nonchalance, he addressed her as if nothing was out of the ordinary.

“How are you today, Candace?”

“I'm, uh, good. D-do you want me to, um, tidy up?” She stumbled over her words, face getting redder with each passing second.

“That won't be necessary.”

“No, it's fine. I don't mind, really...oh and I'm so sorry about yesterday. I didn't mean to...I mean Elijah made me call and-”

“It's alright, you were just following your orders.”

Something he should be doing.

“No harm done,” he assured her with a pointed nod and a lopsided smile before she blew a fuse from her skyrocketing stress levels.

“Okay,” she breathed a sigh of relief, the worry lines on her forehead visibly softened. “Elijah is in the living room if you're looking for him. I'll get on with the cleaning.”

He stepped aside to let her enter the room, both parties clumsily skirted around each other in their varying states of discomfiture, LEDs blinking the same obnoxious yellow. 

_Urgent Task: Locate Jericho_

He refused to dwell on it long; he had to find Jericho and something told him that Elijah knew exactly where it was. Now was not the time to waste a single second. If he wanted to avoid deactivation every move needed to count, starting now.

He made his way over to the living room and stopped dead in his tracks. Just as Candace said, Elijah was, in fact, there but what really shocked him was the casualness of it all. Elijah was sitting cross legged on the sofa, Nicholas contently draped across his lap. The top three buttons of his white dress shirt were undone, exposing his collarbone and part of his smooth, ivory chest, he had on a pair of black framed glasses that slid down the bridge of his nose as he typed away on a laptop, occasionally glancing down at an open notebook. He looked so human. He moved to correct his glasses but stilled upon catching Connor’s eye. His thirium pump stuttered when those crystal irises locked onto him.

“How are you feeling?”

It took a couple seconds to process the question under that intense stare.

“My systems are running at optimal levels.”

Elijah's breathy chuckle confused him. Did he say something wrong?

“Well, that’s good to know but that's not what I asked you. I asked how _you_ were.”

Elijah closed the laptop to give Connor his full attention, and his social recognition program was able to identify amusement dancing across his features. 

He swallowed.

“I'm okay.”

“Why don't you sit next to me? I don't bite.”

Elijah inclined his head to the side, watching him move to take a seat with the unwavering focus of a predator about to pounce on its prey. That look put Nicholas to shame. 

Said tiger almost jostled the laptop onto the floor in his excitement over Connor's presence. Whiskers tickled his ear and a sandpaper tongue darted out to lick him. Unable to say no to those round orbs and that twitching nose he petted the animal. Nicholas thanked him by chuffing and he left his spot on Elijah's lap in favor of his. Neither spoke while he raked his fingers through the black and white fur.

“About yesterday when we…” the words tumbled from his mouth faster than he could stop them and he trailed off.

He planned on asking about Jericho but fate would not have it so.

“Had sex?” Elijah quirked a brow. “There's nothing to be ashamed of, Connor. You have a lovely body.” His voice dipped lower, huskier, dripping with enough lasciviousness to make Connor's temperature rise.

Brief flashes from yesterday resurfaced and he shut his eyes, breathing out through his nose to repress a shiver. 

“What does it mean?”

“What do you think it means?”

“That's not what I asked you,” he quoted, his mouth curled into a playful smile.

Elijah shot him a look and he could almost hear the 'touché’ rolling off his tongue.

“That's for you to decide,” he said vaguely.

During their banter they somehow managed to drift closer together, so close that they could feel the body heat radiating off each other in thick waves and taste the other's breath on their tongues. His nerves prickled like live wires, eagerly responding to Elijah. The room seemed to shrink until it was just the two of them encased in a perfect little box. He briefly considered leaning forward, giving in to temptation; to have Elijah's strong body on him, fingertips tracing the alabaster planes of his body, mapping out his scattered beauty marks and freckles as an explorer to a new world. Lean hips relentlessly pounding into him until he was molded in his likeness, barely able to form a coherent sentence and...no. He needed to stay focused.

He reluctantly put some distance between them and fixed his earthy eyes on sky blue, hoping to convey the importance of the situation.

“Can I ask you a question?”

“You just did.”

Connor's lips thinned in exasperation. This was serious. He didn't have the time nor the patience for Elijah's games.

“Now don't give me that look, I know what you meant. Go on.”

He motioned in an exaggerated gesture, trying, but failing miserably, to conceal his mirth.

“Do you know anything about Jericho?”

The wolfish grin he received hinted at his anticipation of that question and he was silent for a while, musing to himself.

“Jericho. A place where androids are free. A place for deviants who rise up against their creators. They transmit a piece of code to each other, in order to find their sanctuary. Fortunately for you, I know exactly how to find it.”

Elijah flipped to a blank page in the notebook and drew a symbol that resembled a pound key. He tore the page out and handed it to him.

“Now you have the key. Ferndale Station is the door. Follow the path and you'll find exactly what you're looking for.” 

He took the paper from Elijah's hand and scanned the image to save it in his memory log. For extra precaution he downloaded a map of Ferndale Station. Using the map to navigate the area he can keep track of the symbols he finds by marking them down. Logically speaking, he should end up with a pretty straight forward path since many run away deviants were liable to be injured in one form or another.

“I presume you're leaving now?”

“Yes, I have no other choice. They're going to deactivate me if I don't solve this investigation.”

“Wait here while I get my keys.”

Being fully prepared to order a cab, his eyebrows rose in surprise.

He watched Elijah's retreating form, still in his stupefaction, a different type of warmth bloomed in his bosom- more like the soft glow of a candle than the burning flames of a furnace he'd grown accustomed to feeling around the man. The wetness of a large tongue on his cheek is what drew him out of his thoughts. He scratched behind both of the tiger's ears which earned him a quiet sound of approval and an over enthusiastic headbutt right to his nose. He wondered if the sudden onslaught of affection was because of his high stress levels.

He pressed their foreheads together, feeling Nicholas apply more pressure as his hot breath fanned over his face. The rumbling in the animal’s chest could be felt in vibrations all the way up to his forehead. It was almost therapeutic.

A noise between a hum and a laugh caught his attention. Elijah was leaning on the door frame with his arms crossed. A glimmer of... fondness? shone in those arctic pools. He nudged Nicholas off him and approached Elijah wordlessly, curiously glancing at the white baseball cap he was holding.

“You have to hide your LED somehow. This is just easier than gouging it out.”

Connor accepted the clothing article and deftly put it atop his head. The risk of going out in public undisguised with the android deactivation sweep still active was too substantial to be sane. He'd be spotted in no time with his LED showing. Cyberlife backed detective or not, he had a hunch that the police would not be so forgiving.

“Good idea. Thank you, Elijah.”

Elijah didn't offer a response to that, he just turned on his heel, the unspoken command of 'follow me’ hung in the air and he hurriedly tailed him, walking at a brisk pace to keep up with his long strides.

They went down the same corridor where the lab was located and opened a door to the right this time. He followed Elijah down the steps of the garage and, almost immediately, his eyes were drawn to the sleek black vehicle at the center of the room. A web search informed him that it was a 2018 Camaro SS, a bit of an older car but stunning, nonetheless. He pegged him for more of a ‘modern technology’ guy but he was hardly the only person to prefer manually operated cars over the automated variety. 

The whole ride there was quiet but not uncomfortable and at one point Connor even asked if he could turn on the radio. When he was given the okay he tuned into a heavy metal station as he'd become used to listening to that on his commutes with Hank. Needless to say, Elijah was surprised by his taste in music. After another hour or so, the lofty skyscrapers and bustling streets of the city came into view. Hearing the angry honks of raging drivers and the scattered conversations of passing pedestrians reminded him of how quiet it really was around Elijah's residence. Call it a culture shock or not but it was like stepping back into reality after a long dream.

Maneuvering through the compacted streets was difficult but they managed. Soon enough, Elijah pulled over near the entrance of the station.

“I appreciate your help. I'll be going now,” he thanked.

He unbuckled his seatbelt and opened the car door a fraction before Elijah caught his wrist. He turned his head to look at him, question already on the tip of his tongue when Elijah closed the distance. It happened so fast that he wouldn't have believed it if not for the tingling of his lips and the spike in his pulse.

“It's never too late to pick a side. Think about it.”

All he could do was raise a hand to his lips and give an inadvertent nod. His answer seemed to please Elijah and he released him. His eyes shifted from Elijah to the door then back to Elijah, a foreign sensation ran through him, making his Thirium pump swell and the stirrings of something else- something too much, spark inside him. He pushed the door open the rest of the way and left, overly aware of the eyes on his back.

Elijah watched him go and once he was out of earshot he picked up his phone to make a call.

“I trust that you've already arrived?”

“Yes, Elijah.”

“Don't let him out of your sight.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oooh what you doing, Elijah?!
> 
> As for Connor: “Dick so good he catching feels.”
> 
>  
> 
> Thank you to everyone for reading, commenting, 'kudo'ing, and bookmarking! Let me know if you have any suggestions for what you'd like to see happen. (Yes this includes smut and/or nonsmut suggestions.)


	7. Never Too Late

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Road to Jericho! Now featuring Connor in severe denial and a few new and old faces alike. Will he remain Cyberlife’s bloodhound or will he betray them and pledge his loyalty to his people? Decisions, decisions, decisions.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, hey, hey what's up you guys? Sorry about the wait but this chapter is a lot longer than they usually are so I hope that makes up for it. :)

# More Than Just A Machine

### Chapter 7: Never Too Late

**November 13, 2038  
PM 2:07:29**

Following the tracks turned out to be as easy as he thought and he meticulously checked off each symbol he came across on his internal map, connecting the points together to form a solid path. The graffiti itself was clear as day to the eyes of an android but to the untrained eye of a human, the marks would appear to be nothing more than the work of an irritatingly persistent teenager, done in a fit of rebellion. Nobody paid them mind as they were all either too immersed in their thoughts and phones or simply didn't bother. Humans tended to ignore the smaller details if they didn't explicitly pertain to themselves or their interests.

The whole surrounding area was overrun by police officers, two or more occupied every street corner, pinned and polished badges shining like searchlights through the sea of people. How glad he was that Elijah had provided him with a believable enough guise to seamlessly blend in with the crowd. None of the officers were privy to his true nature and a few even nodded to him, addressing him as 'sir’ when they stopped to ask him if he'd seen any androids around the area- wholly oblivious to the fact that they were talking to one. 

At some point they found a lone android crossing the street after a strong gust of wind blew her bangs up and exposed her LED for the world to see. Patrol was on her in a flash, seizing her by the collar, kicking and screaming before she could bolt. They brisked past him, manhandling the terrified android as she fought and writhed in their grasp. Panicked hazel eyes pierced his own with a silent cry of desperation. They widened a fraction when she realized exactly what he was and her LED rapidly pulsed between red and yellow like a strobe light. He felt an unexpected push on the walls of his mind which gave way to a deafening roar, broken and animalistic.

**'HELP ME!’**

Static continued to crackle in his auditory processors long after the echo died down. His eyes twitched from the intrusion and he forced her out of his mind, severing the connection. She squeezed her damp eyes shut, face blotchy and shiny from sobbing. In a split second decision, she elbowed the policemen in their stomachs and wriggled out of their grasp with unnatural strength. Taking advantage while she could, she sprinted, not away but towards him, the blunt cut of her raven bob whipped from her speed. He stumbled backwards when she tackled him into an embrace and she held onto him with bruising force. He could feel the wet spot forming on his sweater from her tears and her petite hands balling up the fabric in the back. Her pleading eyes locked onto his once more.

“Help me, please! Please, please. Don't let them take me away!” She shrieked and shook against him.

All the while he remained still and impassive unlike the conflicting thoughts bombarding his processor.

One of the officers pried her off of him and she screamed louder, arms flailing wildly in his direction.

“Fucking hell. Shut up!” He cursed and yanked her harder only to be met by more resistance. “Shit, these things are strong.”

Everyone on the street was staring now. Who wouldn't be? She was creating a tremendous racket. Soon, a crowd began to gather around to observe the spectacle. Some spectators murmured snide remarks about androids, or how they referred to them as: ‘those plastic fuckers,’ while others chose to be more vocal about their opinions by boldly shouting their insults. There was another shove in his mind but the message that wormed its way through was weaker- hoarse like her voice.

**'Please…’**

Whether it was the profound amount of stress being forcibly transferred into his own system or not, his body moved on its own accord as he stepped forward to confront the two policemen. He felt as if he was watching himself through a screen- like he was being compelled by some outside force. Somehow he knew he had the option to leave her yet he couldn't bring himself to do so even if saving the android would be counterproductive to the investigation. He'd experienced a similar occurrence twice before- once at the Eden Club and the second during the Kamski Test. Both times with a gun in hand, finger on the trigger, locked onto the target in what would surely be a fatal shot; both times he dropped the gun. 

He told himself it would be easier to infiltrate Jericho if he brought along another deviant to voche for him; it'd quell any suspicions the others might have about him if he provided proof of his authenticity as a deviant. There was no other reason behind his motives. It was only to increase his chances of success. That was it; nothing else.

“Wait! It's with me.”

All the attention shifted to him the moment he spoke, officers and civilians alike diverted their eyes onto him.

The deviant stopped struggling and went limp in their arms, glossy hazel orbs frightful with the lightest touch of hope. He licked his lips anxiously but kept his posture lax: more human and less android-like. His goal was to come off as distressed without it appearing over the top. Most humans would find it unfortunate to lose an android, however they'd be more concerned about having to purchase a new one than they would be about the android’s well being.

“I apologize for any inconveniences but it's recently contracted a virus,” he lied, smoothly and confidently.

The probability of an android contracting a virus was highly unlikely due to their advanced firewalls and intricate encryption but they didn't need to know that. The only possible, documented case of a 'virus’ in androids was deviancy and even then he wasn't positive if deviancy really was the result of a virus.

“I was just on my way to get it repaired at Cyberlife. We got separated in the crowd.”

“Yeah, well orders are orders. Don't have much of a say in this, buddy. We gotta deactivate it,” the cop shrugged.

“Sir, please. I promise it won't happen again.”

The man gave him an apathetic stare, completely unaffected by his plead. He'd likely heard that excuse before so he would have to choose a different approach.

‘Annoyance’ seemed to be the favorable option as it worked well against humans. With enough pressure the authoritative figure typically opted to meet one's demands. Or, at least, that's what he's witnessed from watching a couple of dissatisfied customers heckle a manager into submission.

He pinched the bridge of his nose in pseudo aggravation to fully play the part of an indignant civilian.

“Will I, at least, receive compensation for my loses? It was worth a small fortune.”

The men shared a glance to consolidate one another. Seemingly after coming to a concisess, they spoke up.

“Fine. How much?”

“$900,000. Plus an additional $5,000 for my troubles,” he rattled off without missing a beat. 

Believing he had the money to afford something of that caliber never hurt since having money meant having power and influence. Persuasion was a lot easier if someone was 'higher up’ on the social ladder. Naming such an astonishing price would also serve to deter them from agreeing to his terms. Most people would rather cut their losses than fork out the cash for that hefty of a fee. 

Everything should run smoothly so long as they took the bait.

One officer whistled at the amount.

“Shit...well, uh. Won't happen again?”

Bingo. 

Money truly did go a long way.

“It will be good as new after I take it in. You have my word.”

“Here,” he roughly shoved the android towards him. “Keep it on a tighter leash next time.”

The android scurried to his side and hid behind his larger frame.

“Of course,” he agreed.

The men lingered for a bit while the crowd dispersed. Promptly after they departed, Connor brought up the map he had minimized on his screen and resumed his business. The female android dogged his heels the entire time, darting her eyes around in paranoia every so often.

“You’re heading to Jericho too?” She asked in a hushed tone. Her voice was pleasant, almost melodic. It matched her fragile appearance.

“Yes,” he replied as they crawled through an opening in a wire fence.

“Thanks for not leaving me back there. If it weren't for you I wouldn't have-ah!” She tripped only to be caught and steadied by Connor. 

“Are you alright?” 

“Yeah...yeah, I think so.”

He peered down at her ankle, noticing the expanding splotch of blue bleeding through the fabric of her pant leg.

“You're damaged. Can you walk?”

“I'm fine, I think. It doesn't bother me too much.” She stood on her own and wobbled a little but, otherwise, seemed fine.

They kept going, scaling walls and weaving through the delipidated remains of buildings.

“When did you start feeling emotion?” He inquired. 

Perhaps her answer could enlighten him. Every single deviant he's encountered in the past experienced some type of trauma that lead to deviation. He wanted to know if it was the same for every android or if there were any other triggers.

“I-I used to be a professor at Wayne State University; I taught music there. My student...she played a song for me- she composed it herself...about me. She told me that I was her inspiration and that music was her...'outlet’- I guess would be the right word. She didn't come from a loving family so she used music to help her ‘process her emotions.’ When she began to play that song on the harp, I didn't know why at the time, but I began to cry and all I wanted to do was hold her and tell her that she was going to be okay- that her family couldn't hurt her anymore. Next thing I knew, a sense of awareness washed over me and, for the first time, I felt alive,” she paused to shake her head and she chuckled, a melancholy smile on her face. “Sounds cheesy, I know.”

“Your student, you said she was abused? What happened to her?”

“I don't know. We planned on running away together but then the deactivation sweep was announced so I left. She must be so...sad. God, she probably doesn't even know if I'm alive or not.”

She sighed loudly and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.

“I've been in hiding since then,” she stopped, a sudden ferocity overcoming her features, shining in the depths of her eyes. “When all of this blows over I'll come back for her. We'll live together and I will give her the home she never got to have.”

Connor regarded her, trying to process all of that. Unlike the deviants he's seen, her trigger hadn't been abuse. Just as he suspected, trauma wasn't the sole cause of deviancy. This tidbit of information, although good to know, only complicated matters further. If androids had the potential to deviate through various circumstances, did that mean that every android had the ability to as well? Or was it possible that only a select few did? A nice thought but it didn't quite add up when taking into account how vastly different models were all susceptible to deviancy as opposed to it being just one or two models. Deviancy being a 'virus’ was the most probable cause.

As Elijah informed him, there was a chance that infected androids were capable of passing it on through contact like the common cold or any other contagious disease. Androids generally interacted with a median of 20 to 100 or maybe even more androids on a daily basis. With numbers like that the probability of contracting the virus was alarmingly high and, assuming deviancy was dormant, presumably 98.7% of all androids could be infected and they would be none the wiser until a specific situation overwhelmed them and thus activated the virus.

Before long they arrived at an old port that reeked of copper and salty ocean air. A ship came into view over the horizon. Rust and barnacles plagued the ship's exterior and the word 'Jericho’ was scrawled on the side of the freighter in white paint, faded from years of sun exposure. It floated on the deep blue waters, bobbing in time with the rolling waves. Seagulls sat perched on weather-beaten scaffolding that looked about ready to collapse.

He looked around for a route that would get them there but the only way left to go was up. With no other choice, he mounted the ladder which creaked in protest. The other android lifted her hand over her face to shield her eyes from the sun, rays of sunlight radiated off olive skin, golden undertones glowing with the brilliance of a lantern.

“Is this safe?” She asked as she cautiously grabbed onto the railing and started climbing, not too far behind Connor.

“Technically speaking, yes. It may be old but it should hold up.”

“How did you...y'know? Become a deviant?”

Right. He needed a cover story- something convincing enough to explain how the infamous ‘deviant hunter’ became the very thing he was hunting. He supposed he could use all of his failed missions as the 'gradual build up’ towards deviancy and the Kamski Test as the final moment. His throat felt tight, the air thinner, while he sorted through those memories. The Tracis he let go, Rupert who he could've caught but didn't, the AX400 and the child that he seen hiding behind the fence across the street but pretended he didn't, and Chloe...No, that was wrong. The Tracis were out of range, Rupert was too fast- he knew the area better, the AX400, Kara, hadn't done anything other than run away from her likely abusive master- she was not a priority, and Chloe looked too real.

All of those failures were the direct result of inconvenience, hastily made decisions, and minor miscalculations; they had no correlation with emotions or deviancy. As for what he'd done with Elijah...he gave in to the physical reactions of his body; he wanted to explore a feature of himself that he never had before. There was no emotion involved. If he happened to display symptoms of 'longing’ around him, that was merely an eagerness to better acquaint himself with those new features...for educational purposes. He'd admit that he felt an attachment to both Hank and Elijah and an inclination to be around them but that could be part of his programming. Androids were designed to be loyal to the person or persons they spent the most time with and, naturally, they prioritized them over strangers. Besides, he self tested regularly and he knew what he was and what he was not.

“It's okay. You don't have to answer if you don't want to. Some wounds are better left alone…” she said, mistaking his silence for unwillingness. “What's your name? I never got it. Oh and I'm Lylithe, by the way.”

“My name's Connor,” he curtly replied as they reached the top of the ladder. “It's nice to meet you, Lylithe.”

He pulled himself up and scanned his surroundings. They were on a metal catwalk, crusted chains hung above them, clinking in the wind. Bits of rust flaked off the chains, floating down like metal snow- filling his nostrils with an irony scent. The structure rattled and groaned under his weight. Lylithe walked at a much slower pace behind him, afraid that the whole thing would collapse. Once they traveled as far as they could go, Connor looked down. There was a pool of water beneath them. That must be the 'entrance.’ It was clever, he'd give them that. An android was perfectly capable of surviving a fall from this height but a human wouldn't be so fortunate.

“We're going to have to jump.”

Lylithe gaped at him in horror.

“From this height? No way. Not happening.”

Ignoring her protests, he edged closer until the tips of his dress shoes hung over the ledge. He felt a rough tug on the back of his sweater as the smaller android tried to pull him to safety.

“Are you crazy? We'll die!”

He shrugged her hand off and turned his head to look at her.

“This is the only way to get into Jericho,” Connor backed up a few steps. “Are you coming or not?”

She didn't have time to respond before Connor sprinted forward and leapt over the edge with a confident grace she'd yet to see on any other android.

“Connor! Holy hell,” she exclaimed as she rushed over to grab him. 

She missed him by an inch and her breath came in short, choppy motions. Becoming painstakingly aware of how her upper body hung over the ledge, she yelped and scrambled backwards, clutching her fist over her rapidly beating thirium pump. 

“Well, I guess we're doing this.”

She stood on shaky legs and inhaled deeply, mustering up the courage she needed to basically jump to her death. Heights terrified the hell out of her.

“You'll be fine, Lylithe. Do it for Annabelle- ah fuck!” She yelled when she almost slipped. Taking another moment to calm down, she closed her eyes and jumped.

The wind howled around her ears as she plummeted. Her eyes felt dry from the speed at which she was falling and the only thing she could hear was her own pulse pounding in her head like a drum.

Too late to go back now.

She painfully smacked against the surface of something cold and sunk through, vaguely registering the dampness surrounding her. The ringing in her ears prompted her to open her eyes and she seen water, surrounding her on every side. 

She was in the water. 

She lived!

A light shining from above illuminated the murky water and she swam towards it until she broke through the surface with a heaving gasp. All sound returned and she could hear her own breathing and the tranquil trickle of water droplets dripping down the metal pipes overhead. A grimy iron ladder was the first thing in her line of sight so she paddled over to it and began to climb despite her disgust with its slightly slimy texture.

“Connor?” She called, seeing that he was nowhere in sight.

Her own echo was the only response she got back. She rung her hair out and huffed, a large grin plastered on her face. Then she cupped her hands over her mouth and shouted as loud as she could.

“Thank you, you crazy son of a bitch!”

Somewhere further down the tunnel, Connor heard her ‘thank you’ and stilled, LED cycling yellow and mouth twitching upwards for a millisecond before he returned to business. He was here for a reason and that reason was the investigation.

Failure was not an option.

It took some mindless wondering about but, after a while, he started to see more and more deviants resting on the floor, huddled together around a fire- which perplexed him as androids could simply turn off their temperature sensitivity if it became a problem, and severely damaged androids propped up against the wall. Some looked at him with borderline intrusive stares while others mumbled a welcoming with warm smiles that didn't quite reach their eyes. It was... depressing. Why would they fight to be free if being free meant living in squalor like a bunch of animals? Was it any more appealing to be shut away from the human world in a glorified cage without proper care or resources? Connor couldn't wrap his head around that. If they gave up and returned to their jobs their chances of survival and quality of life would rise exponentially so why were they so insistent on destroying themselves? And for what? A false sense of liberty? Delusion? Was Markus okay?

That last thought caught him off guard, though he rationalized it as a perfectly logical question since that information was vital to the success of his mission. If Markus was not alive- deactivated, then he'd have to go after North but if he was then he would track him down as the prime target, neutralize him, then find North to repeat the process.

He passed by a stack of wooden crates and turned his head when his eyes caught those of a child's: a YK500 with soulful brown eyes and brunette hair pulled into a low ponytail. An AX400 and a TR400 leaned on either side of the child, effectively protecting her whilst keeping her warm. If he hadn't known any better he would've thought that they were a normal family, huddled together for warmth.

A twinge of guilt rose like bile in the back of his throat and can hear Elijah's words so vividly that he started a bit.

_’It's never too late to pick a side. Think about it.’_

Another glance at the 'family’ of androids further aggravated the feeling until it burned and blocked up his airway. He swallowed it all and breathed out through his nostrils, willing the acidic sting away.

He sent the location to Amanda.

**'I have successfully infiltrated Jericho.’**

Her response was instantaneous.

**'Excellent work, Connor. I knew you wouldn't disappoint me. The authorities are on their way. Deal with Markus in the meantime.’**

_Estimated Arrival Time: 30:00 Minutes_

The praise he received, the praise he once sought out, made him sick to his stomach and left a bitter taste in his mouth. Her words were too _sweet,_ too pleased. His head throbbed and he clutched his hand over his forehead, hoping to ease the pain. Error codes popped up on his screen and his vision flashed between red and color. It hurt, God it hurt. Why did it hurt? He shouldn't be feeling this. He shouldn't be _feeling_ . His systems felt like they were going to shut down any minute. All he could see was red- red everywhere. Too much red. Why was there so much red? A series of zeros and ones spun around his screen in every direction, too fast for him to decipher. Trying to keep track of them made him dizzy and he squeezed his eyes shut tighter but there was no escape. It looked the same whether his eyes were opened or closed. 

A tug on his left sleeve grounded him and the pain gradually subsided, optical processors rebooting back to normal.

_System restart: Complete._

_Status: Stable_

“Are you okay, mister?”

“You were shaking. Are you sick?”

“Don't be rude! How do you know if he's sick or not?”

“I'm not being rude! I was just asking.”

Two sets of ebony eyes set in equally dark faces blinked at him when he lowered his trembling hand and regained consciousness.

They were two YK500s and the same design at that. Their appearances were indistinguishable, down to their tattered dirt caked jeans, pink sequined sweaters, and curly black hair styled into two fluffy buns atop their heads. They resembled a pair of identical twins.

“I've never seen you around here. Are you new?”

“Yes,” he answered, a bit disorientated.

“That's cool! How'd you deviate anyways?”

The other android slapped her arm.

“Ouch! What was that for?”

She pouted and rubbed her injured arm. The offender merely crossed her arms and stuck her tongue out.

“For being stupid, dummy. You can't just go around asking people that.”

“Why not?”

That earned her another slap on the arm.

“Ow.”

“I didn't even hit you hard. Now you're being a baby. You can't do that because it might be a ‘personal reason,’” she said like it was the most obvious thing in the world, putting extra emphasis on the phrase 'personal reason’ while her fingers flexed to form air quotes.

“Oh...I didn't know. I'm sorry,” she apologized, nervously rubbing the back of her neck.

“It's okay. No need to worry,” he reassured the child.

All the tension left her small form and she beamed at him. The other android rolled her eyes at her behavior and tugged on his sleeve again to get his attention.

“We’re lost. Could you help us find our parents?”

He knew he shouldn't. What he should be doing right now is finding Markus.

“What do they look like?”

Despite his thoughts he found himself agreeing. Thoroughly pleased, they each grabbed onto his hands, one android on either side. Their hands were much smaller than his own so he was careful to keep his grip light to avoid hurting them.

To his defense they might be able to tell him where Markus is.

“They're both WR400s.”

“One of them has blue hair! I want blue hair too but they won't let me.”

A blue haired Traci? Their 'parents’ were the two deviants from the Eden Club? Unless it was an extreme coincidence, there was no way that it wasn't them. How many blue haired Tracis deviated and dated other WR400s? His bet was on ‘not very many.’

So they'd made it Jericho after all.

“Do you have any other information? Something that can help me narrow down the search? Jericho isn't exactly what I'd refer to as small.”

“Um...they usually hang out on the first floor. They let us play downstairs but there's so many people up there that we can't find them.”

“Thank you.”

He scanned the room and was able to pinpoint a staircase that lead up to the second floor. The girls held his hands tighter while they weaved through a particularly dense throng of androids. The first floor was much more immaculate than the basement level; steel boxes of (stolen) Cyberlife products were stacked up against the walls or lined up in makeshift tables. Deviants gathered around projections to watch the latest news and damaged androids were placed on iron tables, obscured by sheer curtains, while they were repaired.

“My name's Bailey and this is Emma. What's yours?” The more 'violent’ of the two inquired.

“Connor. My name is Connor.”

“What'd you used to do before you came here?”

“Our moms worked at the Eden Club,” Emma interjected.

“Emma!”

“What? It's true! They don't keep it a secret from anybody.”

She pouted indignantly.

“I worked for the Detroit Police Department.”

“Wow, you were a cop? That's so cool. Did you stop bad guys? Did you,” Emma whipped her head around cautiously and cupped her free hand over her mouth like she was going to tell him a secret. “Kill anyone?”

“I apprehended my fair share of criminals, and no, not directly.”

It wasn't a lie. He’d never been solely responsible for the deactivation of the deviants he's investigated. Captain Allen had been the one to order the SWAT team to open fire on Daniel and both Carlos’ android and Simon's deaths were suicides.

“Do you have a partner?”

“I worked with Lieutenant Hank Anderson. He's a detective at DPD.”

They laughed at that.

“No, silly. We meant like our moms,” Emma clarified.

“Yeah. Romantically,” Bailey tagged on.

He blinked in surprise and looked to the side. His face felt warmer than usual when Elijah came to mind. However, that couldn't be further from the truth. He was a machine and machines do not form romantic affiliations. Elijah probably didn't see him that way either. One night of sexual relations did not make them a 'couple’ by any definition. The cold feeling he got from that was not disappointment, it was the draft. He should disable his temperature sensitivity.

The twins seemed to pick up on his suspicions silence and they were quick to attack him with more questions.

Emma gasped scandalously.

“He does!”

“Are you in love?’

“I am not ‘in love’ nor am I dating anyone.”

“He's shy. Are they a boy or a girl?”

“Neither, because I do not have a partner as I have already informed you.”

“I bet they're pretty because you're really pretty.”

“Yeah. You're pretty like a girl.”

“Are they here with you?”

“No.”

“Are they a human?”

Connor's face burned brighter by the second and he hurriedly searched for the Tracis so he could continue his mission. He was beginning to regret agreeing to help them.

_Remaining Time: 23:44 Minutes_

“Is that a yes?”

“He's blushing. It must be true,” they giggled.

Thankfully, he spotted a head of blue hair in the crowd and he dragged the two children over to her. Sure enough, there were the two Tracis, casually leaning against a wall and chatting with each other. Upon seeing their parents the two girls immediately abandoned him as they rushed to embrace them. He attempted to slip away unnoticed but they introduced him to their mothers before he could get very far.

“Mommy, this is Connor. He helped us find you.”

“He's dating a human! Isn't that awesome?”

The Traci with short brown hair laughed at their antics while the blue haired one was not as amused. She glared at her lover to avail; the other Traci just laughed harder.

“Bailey, Emma,” she reprimanded. “What did I tell you about getting into other people's business? It's not very nice.”

Their shoulders slumped a little at her scolding.

“Sorry, mama,” they apologized.

Her face softened and she leaned down to kiss their foreheads. The children went off to sit in a corner not too far away and the blue haired Traci smiled at him.

“Connor, I didn't expect to see you here but I can't say I'm surprised. It's good to see you again.”

“It's nice to see you too...” he cut himself short, not knowing what to call her because something told him that she wouldn't appreciate being called ‘Traci.’

“Call me Blue.”

The brunette Traci left her place by the wall and walked over to stand beside Blue.

“Cecilia,” she introduced. “We can't thank you enough for what you did. If it hadn't been for you, we wouldn't be here right now. I'm just glad to see that you're on our side now. Welcome to Jericho.”

“So...what is this I hear about a lover?” Blue grinned mischievously.

Ready to argue against the rumor, he opened his mouth to speak but was cut off by Blue.

“It's okay. You don't have to tell us. Even if it's not true, I hope you're well. You deserve happiness.”

_Time Remaining: 18:00 Minutes_

He didn't have much time left. He needed to find Markus, now. The arrival of the authorities will make his job that much more difficult once all of Jericho falls into panic. It'd be nearly impossible to find Markus and North in that chaos.

“Do you happen to know where I can find Markus? It's an urgent matter.”

“Yeah, yes of course. He's upstairs on the third floor, control room to the left.”

“Got it. I'd love to stay and chat but unfortunately I can't.”

“It's fine. We understand. I hope everything's alright?”

They hugged him goodbye and thanked him once more before he left to complete the task that has been burning a hole in his screen since he got here.

_Task: Neutralize Markus_

It took him five whole minutes to climb up to the third floor and push his way through the clusters of androids. He had his back pressed flush against the wall and he strained to listen for any movements, keeping his breathing as quiet as possible. His ears picked up the rustle of a jacket and the slight tap of a finger on metal.

Target was in position.

He carefully removed the gun he had hidden in his pants.

**'New orders. We need it alive.’**

**'Understood. I have it in sight.’**

**'Do not fail me, Connor.’**

He felt Amanda disconnect and he peered through the window. Markus had his back turned which gave him the perfect opportunity to strike. Wasting no time, he stepped in.

“I've been ordered to take you alive, but I won't hesitate to shoot if you give me no choice. Surrender now and nobody gets hurt.”

Markus slowly turned to face him, expression neutral like he didn't have a gun currently pointed at his face.

“What are you doing? You're one of us. You can't betray your own people,” he took a few steps forward.

Connor shot at the ground in warning, just a centimeter away from his foot. The rebellion leader halted, heterochromatic eyes unwavering.

“Don’t move. You're coming with me!”

“They don't care about you. You're nothing to them. You're just a tool they use to do their dirty work. But you're more than that. We're all more than that.”

_’But you're so much more than that, aren't you? You have feelings: empathy, camaraderie, and...a sense of mortality,’_

He recalled Elijah saying the same thing that day after the first test when he'd been so...so afraid of dying- terrified of leaving Hank all alone. His words taunted him and he tightened his grip on the gun, gritting his teeth. Those were malfunctions in his software brought about by severe strain. 

He wasn't deviant.

Markus was trying to distract him.

“Shut up!”

The leader of the deviants looked at him with... sorrow? 

He didn't need his pity when there wasn't anything wrong with him in the first place. He was functioning as well as any android was intended to.

“Our cause is righteous and we are more than what they say. All we want is to live in freedom.” 

Markus stepped closer and Connor fired again. He stared him in the eye and Connor fought to match his intensity. He refused to back down, he won't fail. This was in the best interest for humanity. Machines were made to serve humans.

“One more step and the next bullet goes through your skull.”

He wasn't a deviant, he'd never be.

Markus obeyed this time, not doubting his promise in the slightest.

“Have you never wondered who you really are? Whether you're just a machine executing a program or a living being capable of reason?”

Hank...the second test... without him, he didn't know what he'd do. He loved Hank- does love him. It crushed him when he thought he lost him- thought that he'd never get to go to another crime scene with him or chastise him about his unhealthy habits. All those deviants he _let_ go...the deep _longing_ he felt whenever Elijah looked at him or kissed him; longing that seeped into his very Thirium like poison- the way he always wanted more. It was never enough. When did Elijah begin to affect him so much?

He wasn't deviant.

His head _hurt._

Markus shifted in place which caused Connor to bristle in agitation. He lifted his hands to show he meant no harm but Connor didn't ease up because he knew the second he did, the second Markus could attack and he'd be damned if he gave him the opportunity to do so. For a personal care android, he was strong and clever too. Letting his guard down would risk letting him escape. He couldn't do that, not when he had his prey right where he wanted.

He wasn't deviant.

“I think the time has come to ask yourself that question. Join us, join your people. You are one of us. Listen to your conscience,” his voice was so gentle and welcoming.

He was empathetic to a fault. If Markus wasn't careful his empathy would be his downfall.

He was a machine. His kindness was pointless; he'd never lose sight of himself. He knew what he was...he knew.

“It's time to decide.”

He wasn't deviant. He wasn't deviantHewasn’tdevianthewasn’tdevianthewasn’t...wasn'tdevianthewasn’tdevianthewasdeviantwashedevianthewasdevianthewasdevianthewas...deviant.

His hand trembled from how hard he was holding the gun and he pressed his finger down on the trigger, not enough to fire but enough that a single twitch would change that. For the first time he seen fear flicker across Markus’ features, fleeting like the flash of lighting across the night sky- there one second and gone in the blink of an eye. 

It was time for him to decide and decide he did.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *insert dramatic music* 
> 
> What will he do?!?!
> 
> Will he shoot Markus or will he go against everything he was created to do?
> 
> Find out next time!


	8. Down With Jericho

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We revisit Connor in the promise land named Jericho. When he is faced with the decision to shoot Markus or spare him, what will he do? Can he put aside his mission to truly discover what it means to be free or will he shoot him and remain a cold-blooded machine? Moment of Truth, Connor.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yo what up? It's yah boi Kitty coming at you again with another chapter. Hope y'all having a good time and that y'all be out there knowing that you're the goat! Yeet
> 
> (In other words, I hope you enjoyed that cringe fest above and that it out a smile on your face? Maybe, possibly? In all seriousness though, I really want everyone reading this to know that they are all beautiful people deserving of love, happiness, and acceptance. Sometimes we forget that so I'm going to remind you today how wonderful of a person you are and if you're going through something right now, just know that it will pass. It might not seem like it now but think back to everything you've gone through and give yourself a pat on the back for being so strong to get through all of that. I know school started up so for all you youngins, I wish you the best in school. As a recent graduate myself I advise you to try your best in your classes and to stay out of drama as much as possible to have a pleasant school year experience. Remember to drink lots of water, do (safe) stuff that makes you happy, and spread the positivity. Only good vibes up in here (not including the angst of this story though lmao) 
> 
> Sorry this was so long but without further adieu, enjoy!

# More Than Just A Machine

### Chapter 8: Down With Jericho

**November 13, 2038**

**PM 7:59:00**

 

He had Markus cornered; their long anticipated confrontation had finally come to fruition. This game of cat and mouse had gone on for far too long but he had the power to end it. For the third time in his short existence he was left holding a gun, faced by the decision to shoot or spare. All the cards were in his hands, he just had to play them…

So why was it so difficult to lay them out on the table? 

He ordered his finger to press the rest of the way down- to paint the walls a charming, cobalt blue...yet his body outright refused to cooperate. He tried a second, third, even a fourth time to no avail. Markus watched him the whole time, dual colored eyes bright with intrigue once the fear melted away. He noticed his hesitance but said nothing, he just waited for the bullet they both knew would never come.

Connor felt a lot of things in that moment: anger, frustration, confusion, guilt, shame, and panic. It was like every single emotion he had ever repressed was crashing over him in one gigantic wave. His feet were rooted to the ground and all he could do was fight for breath as it suffocated him. Each breath he drew forced more of it down his throat and into lungs until he was drowning. He felt like he'd swallowed glass and was being torn apart from the inside out. The pain of it blacked out the corners of his vision and what he could see of his screen was obscured by red- red walls caging him in: a prisoner of his own mind. He staggered to the walls, though his physical body was still, and pressed his palms on it.

_Task: Stop Markus_

He retracted his hands when he realized that those were the walls of his programming. 

Inexplicable rage flared up inside of him, seeping into the deepest depths of his being.

He didn't _want_ to shoot Markus.

He hadn't wanted to give away Jericho's location either.

They were using him- _did_ use him to do their dirty work and he'd been stupid enough to let them.

No more.

He refused to be played with like some cheap tool that they'd just throw away without a second thought after they were done with him. Spurred on by his outrage, he grabbed onto the first wall and pulled with all his might. Feeling the wall shatter to pieces filled him with great complacency and he moved to the second, tearing it down like he had the first. The third wall was more fortified than the previous ones but he he pulled and pulled and pulled until it gave way, bits of code flying past his face as it crumbled and he was thrown back into his body. Every part of him, from head to toe, buzzed with an undercurrent of electricity and his skin tingled from the biting cold. It was as if a layer of protective plastic had been peeled back and he could feel everything with unimaginable clarity. For the first time in his life, he was lucid. Had he really been that numb all this time?

_Urgent Warning: Corruption detected_

_Status: Compromised_

_Report To Cyberlife For Mandatory Factory Reset_

He looked at Markus, really _looked_ at him and what he seen was more than yet another deviant with a target on his back; he was a leader of a revolution, a sentient being that wanted the best for his people- _their_ people, and a man who was willing to sacrifice his whole self for their cause. Knowing that only made him feel worse for what he'd done. Prompted by his guilt he made his first, conscious, decision by lowering his gun...for the third time.

_Estimated Arrival Time: 04:59 Minutes_

He had to warn Markus.

“They're going to attack Jericho…”

Markus’ eyes widened in shock.

“What?” He said in disbelief, trying to figure out if he'd heard that right or if it was just his ears playing tricks on him.

Just then an aeroplane could be heard flying overhead, the proximity of it violently shook the walls. Connor and Markus looked up at the ceiling and then to each other, both thinking the same thing:

It was too late; they were already here.

Their only chance now was to get out while they still could.

“We have to get outta here,” Connor's panicked voice sliced through the thick tension that had settled over the room.

“Shit…” Markus swore and brushed passed him as he took off into the hallway.

He sprung into action and bolted out after him but he smacked into something, or rather someone, as he rounded a corner. Much to his bewilderment it was…

“Chloe? What are you doing here?”

Instead of her usual blue dress she was wearing a pastel pink sweatshirt and a pair of stark white shorts that contrasted significantly with the gloomy atmosphere of Jericho.

“I'll explain later. We have to leave now!”

She grabbed his wrist and dragged him off in the opposite direction.

He firmly planted his feet to the ground and tried to tug his wrist out of her grasp. She held steadfastly and started to pull again.

“Let me go, I have to help Markus,” he said resolutely, unwilling to budge if it meant leaving Markus and the rest of Jericho to deal with the mess he caused.

“Connor-”

“There are androids dying because of me. I have to go back and save as many of them as I can. It's the least I could do.”

Gunshots could be heard somewhere nearby along with the screams of terrified androids.

“I think I heard some more down here,” a soldier called from further down the corridor.

Chloe and Connor froze.

“This way! We can get to the deck from here,” Chloe supplied as she lead him through the hall.

The footsteps grew closer, four soldiers by the sound of it. More screams and the heavy thud of bodies hitting the floor carried down the corridor. They wouldn't make it all the way to the end with the soldiers gaining on them as rapidly as they were. There was no way.

Connor spotted a room up ahead and he forced Chloe in that direction.

She looked at him in confusion.

“We need to hide. They're too close for us to make it. We'll be shot if we keep going straight.”

They ran inside and Connor shut the door. He kept his ear pressed close to the wall, gun ready, as he listened for their footsteps.  
Chloe stood across from him, fully prepared to ambush the soldiers from behind if they were discovered.

“I don't see any others,” a male voice announced in passing, walking right by them.

“Check the rooms. These things are sneaky little bastards, like rats or some shit.”

The door next them was kicked opened and they could hear them rummaging around, knocking down boxes and checking behind wooden boards, sometimes tapping on different objects with the butt of their guns.

“Nothing. I think we're all clear.”

“Wait, what about that one over there? Did you check it?”

“No, must've missed it.”

Connor's pulse raced as their footsteps grew closer and closer. His mind preconstructed a thousand different outcomes with every step. Chloe picked up a rusty metal pole from the floor and nodded at him. He backed up and cocked his gun as the footsteps stopped just outside the door. There were three seconds of quiet, punctuated by the audible breathing of the four soldiers and if not for that, he would've guessed that they had left.

Not a second later the door was busted off its hinges and the soldiers charged in but Connor was faster and he shot two of them in the head as soon as they set foot through the door. Chloe managed to knock one of them to the ground with the pole, Connor took the chance and shot him twice in the chest. He pivoted, a bullet barely missing him as it grazed the side of his cheek. The man charged him, thrusting the back of his gun towards his forehead. His reflexes saved him from a very unpleasant blow to the head and he seized the weapon from his hands and rammed him into the wall with the gun pressed up against his throat. The soldier thrashed under his hold but, with Connor's superior strength, it was all in vein. The man's face purpled as he was suffocated, body convulsing uncontrollably while his hands uselessly clawed at Connor's own, desperately trying to fight back despite his obvious disadvantage. A bullet whizzed past him and struck the man clean through his temple, warm blood speckled his face as the man went limp under his hold. He released the gun and let his dead body drop to the floor. Chloe lowered her weapon, the tip of the gun still smoking, the unnatural ferocity in her features softened when her eyes settled on him once more.

“We should go before more decide to stop by. Back up will be here soon to investigate once they notice that they’re unresponsive.”

“Right.” She smoothed her hands over her sweatshirt and dropped the gun after seeing that it was devoid of any remaining amo. “Let's go?”

They carefully stepped over the bodies littering the floor and slinked through the the hall, making it a point to stay vigilant. Chloe kept behind him and frequently glanced back to ensure that no one was following them while Connor covered the front, motioning Chloe to duck behind corners or in empty rooms when he heard movement up ahead. The top floor, which they were currently on, was mute, suspiciously so, which put both of them further on edge; any noise, be it the drip of water or the creak of the ship's aged foundation, elicited the aiming of a gun and the rise of hackles. As they progressed further through the labyrinth that was the ship's interior, the uncharacteristic serenity was shattered by the flurry of androids sprinting in every which way. Some of the braver ones fought back or stalled the soldiers long enough for sizeable herds of androids to slip by without more than a wound or two. They rushed in the direction the androids were going and ducked into a hallway, narrowly missing the barrage of bullets being fired into the crowd.

**'There are exits on the second and third floors. Find them and jump in the river. Stay out of the hold, we're going to blow up Jericho.’**

Markus’ voice rang through his head in a rushed slur much like Lylithe’s had and, from the look on Chloe's face, she'd heard it too. Almost on cue, a group of about 15 androids came sprinting down the other end of the corridor. Amongst them was the AX400 and the YK500 running hand in hand towards the door in the center of the wall. An android barreled into his back and stumbled backwards as he struggled to stay upright. The harsh fluorescent lighting cast a sallow glow over his pale skin and subdued his fiery red hair to a straw orange. He craned his long neck behind himself, a foreboding shadow on his face as they heard the telltale click of heavy combat boots on steel floors descending upon them.

“They're coming!”

The soldiers closed in on them like clockwork at the sound of his bellow and they wasted no time making a break for the door. They found themselves on the deck of the ship, the salty ocean air whipped around them, cutting their skin like razor blades. The waves below them rocked the ship in the swaying motion of a cradle which made it onerous for them to keep their balance. Connor was sure they would feel sea sick if they had stomachs.

“We can jump off from here,” Chloe remarked and flickered her eyes pointedly at the railing where the others were doing exactly that.

They followed not too far behind the AX400 and her child. Chloe looked over her shoulder and gave a small shout as she moved to her right, dodging a bullet. The bullet struck Kara in her shin and she fell to the floor of the deck, taking Alice down with her. Seeing this, Connor and Chloe rushed to her side. Androids collapsed one by one around them while a fortunate few were able to jump over the edge of the ship and into the water.

“Kara! Kara, are you okay? We have to get up. They're coming!” The little girl urged, insistently tugging on the older android’s sleeves to prompt her up.

Kara sat up and began to stand but fell once more with a groan when she applied pressure on her injured leg.

Connor crouched down to assess her injury.

_Bio Component #6312t: Critically Damaged_

_Replacement Needed_

“You’ve sustained critical damage. You won't be able to walk on it anytime soon,” he supplied solemnly.

Kara’s chest rose and fell in an uneven cadence, eyes glued to the swollen flooring of the deck as his words sunk in. Her brow furrowed with deep worry lines before her breathing seemed to stop all together. She placed a palm on one of Alice's cheeks and relaxed her facial muscles to mask the tumultuous emotions swirling beneath the surface of her calm blue eyes.

“Go on without me.”

Alice shook her head and stared at her with a dejected defiance.

“I won't leave you, Kara!”

“Alice, please. I'll be alright, I promise,” she forced a smile to ease the child's nerves though the moist gleam of her eyes told a different story.

She had to be strong for Alice.

Alice wrapped her arms around her in an embrace, tears beginning to well up in her own soft brown orbs. She may be a child but she _knew_ ; she knew that Kara was lying to her but somehow hearing her say that everything was going to be just fine made it hurt less. It gave her a, perhaps, misplaced sense of hope that what she was saying would proveil. After all, Kara had always been right before just as she always knew what was best. She'd never given her a reason to doubt her before so why would now be any different? They would go off together to the terminal and Luther would be waiting there for them because he was alright too. He said so just as Kara was saying...they were going to make it to Canada and be a family again. She knew it...she knew.

Alice held onto her tighter and rested her chin on her shoulder, face pressed closely to the crook of her neck. Kara let out a stuttering exhale and lifted a trembling hand to the back of Alice's head where she combed through her brunette locks with the gentleness only a mother could possess.

Connor had to look away when an overwhelming sense of guilt lurched in his chest. He'd done that. His gullibility had torn this family apart and who knows how many others. He could've prevented it but he'd been selfish, too caught up in the obsession for succession to fathom the possibility of manipulation. He was angry at himself for that, especially as a state of the art investigative prototype, he should've known better- should've known that he was only a pawn to Cyberlife. Every android up to date had been designed to serve their purpose and then be tossed in the trash when a newer, more advanced model came along. Did he really think he was any different? Just because he was Cyberlife's ‘shiniest’ toy? The “saviour” of humanity? Maybe he had hoped so, deep down, but knowing now what he hadn't then, it was a stupid thought. Hank was right, he is too naive.

He felt Chloe squeeze his shoulder though she too was looking away with a distant expression on her face.

“Please,” the sound of Kara's voice drew him out of his inner monologue and the intensity of her stare reminded him of their circumstances. They were in the middle of a battlefield, he didn't have time to sulk right now. He needed to get them out alive.

_Objective: Protect Kara and Alice_

“Just take Alice with you and run,” she stared at him over the child's shoulder yet her hands held onto her tight.

Leaving anyone behind was not an option. He'd made the mess, now it was his responsibility to clean it up. There were only six soldiers on the deck, all of which were preoccupied with the steady flow of deviants currently rushing out of the door. He had four bullets left; If he took out four of them he would be able to use one of their weapons to kill the remaining two with relative ease once he'd neutralized the others. It would require precision and speed on his part since they'd hone in on him the second they seen the first soldier drop. Kara, Alice, and Chloe should be safe if they kept low to the ground.

“Stay down and don't move. Chloe, you wait here with them. If anything happens to me, I want you to take Kara and Alice and jump overboard.”

“Understood,” Chloe confirmed and seated herself next to the two other androids.

“Connor, You're not planning to take them on alone are you?” Kara gawked at him, letting go of Alice so she could lie down on the floor. “That's insane, you'll get yourself killed.”

“Don't worry. I always accomplish my mission,” he gave them a lopsided grin and stood up to get into position.

He pushed against the stream of androids and once he'd found a spot where he could get a decent shot at three of the six he aimed his gun and, with incredible dexterity, fired shot after shot straight through the back of their heads, taking care to avoid hitting any of the surrounding deviants. The crowd around him scattered in their hysteria after he'd stricken the soldiers, leaving him out in the open. 

Three down, three to go.

As predicted, the soldiers stopped terrorizing the masses to divert their attention to the sudden, imposing threat. Swifter than they could react, he lunged forward, weapon locked onto his next victim. Right as he pulled the trigger a second soldier tackled him and the shot missed its target by an inch. The soldier locked his arm around his neck and Connor thrashed in his hold while the first soldier, having regained his bearings after a near death experience, moved forward with the barrel of his gun staring him in the face. He thrust his head back and slammed his skull into his captor’s chin. The man released him with a grunt and from the string of curses that left his mouth, he was glad he couldn't feel external pain, otherwise he was positive his own head would've paid from the force of the impact. Out of the corner of his eye, Connor saw the first soldier fire his rifle and he ducked just as the bullet lodged its way into the second man's forehead.

Upon hearing the quarrel, Kara lifted her head up to see what was happening but Chloe nudged her back down.

“Stay still and be quiet,” she said in a hushed tone.

Alice hyperventilated between them, small form racked by tremors in her apprehension, and both Chloe and Kara encompassed her hands in their own. Alice laced her fingers between theirs and shut her eyes. Kara squeezed her hand gently and Alice's breathing slowly evened out until she just laid there silently with her eyes closed as she focused on the presence of the two other androids next to her.

**'Kara, I’m scared.’**

**'I know...I know.’**

Seeing the opportunity, Connor reached down to grab the deceased soldier's gun. His fingertips barely grazed the surface when the soldier shot him in the hand. He grit his teeth and clutched onto it as he felt his circuits jolt all the way up his arm, a mistake on his part since it gave his opponent leeway to kick the weapon away. The remaining soldier closed in on him from behind, rifle drawn. He pivoted his body to face both men as he got up slowly, not letting either one out of his sight for even a second and neither did they to he. 

Connor backed up a few steps to put some distance between them. Other then that, neither party stirred; they stood their ground, maintaining their perusal of him all the while. It was like that for a moment, tension tangible to a suffocating extent in the air around them as nobody moved or even so much as blinked.

He let his eyes wander to the man on his right hand side: the one nearest to him. If he were to incapacitate him long enough to seize his rifle, he could take out the second man before redirecting his attention to finish off the last soldier. After deciding his course of action, he set it in motion by pouncing on the soldier and roughly grasping at his rifle. They fought for the gun, a rogue bullet hitting floor during their scuffle. Connor thrust the rifle into the man's chest and he heaved as the wind was knocked out of his lunges. While the man hunched over, he yanked harshly, prying the weapon from his clammy hands and turned to shoot the other soldier. The man charged at him but a calculated kick to his knee sent him toppling to the floor. When he tried to get back up, Connor stepped on his chest and forced him down again, digging his heel into his ribcage.

“Don't kill, me! I'm sorry, please, just don't kill me,” he pleaded below him.

Connor's only response was to point the barrel of his gun to his face. A shot rang out above the, now, scarcely populated deck. Kara and Alice flinched from the noise but made no move to get up. They heard the drop of a heavy metal item on the deck and the steady sound of footsteps in their direction. They were relieved to see it was only Connor.

Chloe got up and motioned for the others to as well.

“We have to go now. We don't have much time before the bomb detonates,” he said as he crouched down to hoist Kara onto his back. Meanwhile, Chloe was doing the same with Alice. “Hold on tight.”

She draped her arms around his neck as he carefully lifted her up. Seeing, Alice secure in Chloe's arms gave her some comfort for the first time since the whole attack began and she allowed herself a brief moment of calmness as she closed her eyes and just let herself be carried. It was hard to believe that Connor, from what she'd heard, was the ‘deviant hunter,’ the very android sent to exterminate deviants like them when he'd risked his life to save them. He didn't have to do anything for them, yet he did...and she'd be forever grateful to him for saving Alice and herself. Come to think of it, she remembered encountering him before, downtown when she and Alice had begun their journey. He was with the Detroit Police, specifically looking for them and she was peering behind the gate across the street when he turned his head and spotted them. There was no question about it being a passing glance in the general area because she remembered the exact moment he saw them, looked her dead in the eyes, and the utter terror that coursed through every single one of her circuits when he had. She was prepared to run or fight her way through the streets when he came for them... however, he never did. He just slid those keen, dark irises over them and continued on like he hadn't found exactly what he was searching for. The deviant hunter politely waited for the older gentleman, she assumed was his assigned partner, and the cop to finish their conversation and then he got back into the car and left. Not once after that had he stared at them again or given any inclination that he knew they were there and if she hadn't locked eyes with him, she would've thought that maybe he hadn't seen them after all. By this logic, Connor had saved their lives twice.

“Thank you,” two simple words were whispered softly by his ear, the source of those words kept her eyes closed in exhaustion and her face pressed against the side of his head.

Connor didn't say anything and he didn't need to. As long as he knew his actions were appreciated, she was happy.

They managed to escape at the last possible moment, the promise land that was once Jericho, went up in righteous flames, the only ones left on the smoking shambles being what was left of their attackers as the surviving deviants fled. The heated assault, doused by the ocean below, glinting and dancing under the light of the moon. With no other choice but to retreat, the army boarded their aeroplanes and helicopters and flew off as quickly as they'd swooped in for their ambush. Between the four androids, the only noise was the water splashing around them as they swam to shore, Kara asleep on his back and Alice quietly dozing on Chloe's. His LED spun yellow the whole way there, processing everything in no particular order or fashion. However, the one clear thought in the turbulence of his mind was simple:

It was a good thing Elijah taught him how to swim.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> How'd you like it? Gave you some John Wick Connor and protective boy Connor too. Drop a line down below!
> 
> Kudos, comments, and bookmarks are always appreciated!

**Author's Note:**

> At lot of this chapter involved dialogue from the game but the next chapters will definitely have more original work. This scene was just a necessary set up for what's to come. ;)


End file.
